Language history
The earth has existed for 4.5 billon years. Mankind, in our form for 50,000 years. That means most of first 4.5 billions years the earth was without words. A world without words is almost unimaginable. Try to imagine a world without language. We could not have evolved into an advanced technological society without language. More important: without language all the dimensions of our feelings, beliefs, joys, longings and sufferings of our souls could not be expressed.
- Without language we would be like Camus said, “gypsies on the edge of an alien world, a world that is as deaf to our music, as it is to our sorrows”
Language in history
Language is what we use to reveal our conectiveness to others. Language is what we use to remind ourselves of this connection. Language allows us to share our feelings and hopes. It frees us from our aloneness.
Have you ever been in a foreign country that you speak not a word of the language, you feel alone and I hope some excitement. But the excitement comes from the feeling that you will explore and connect and even learn a few words of the language. If you know a few words you will get smiles.
This is my theory, all you need is a few words to connect. Just a few. Then build on this.
How did language evolve from history
So how did language come about and evolve? Out of a deep longing to ride ourselves of this aloneness, and a need to survive.
Like the human race, language started in Africa. Most of this existence was pre-history. I would like to start with the most significant wave migration out of Africa.
- Current DNA theory suggests about 25,000 years about as few as 70 people, but not more than 120, crossed the Red Sea to look for food.
What is the history of people
This is where all people from Europe, Asia and the Americas are in some way descendent from (there were subsequent waves, but we all have DNA from these humans). This small band of humans spoke a common language. One main branch of this group settled in a common Indo-European homeland which is now southern Russia.
These ‘Caucasians’ which settles around the Caucasian mountains in Russia, spread out to India and Iran etc. From Ireland to India we all share the common proto-type Indo-European religion and language as our common heritage. The human race was truly one. But very quickly like the story of Babel we developed differences.
Remnants of this commonality can still be seen in our words and religion. Some words are obvious, other are less obvious but still can be seen. For example, the Polish word for bread is helb which is related to the English word for loaf.
Language
Let’s get specific.
Shown bellow are more commonalyties and a map out the languages branches.
ENGLISH LATIN IRISH GREEK SANSKRIT RUSSIAN TIBETAN
one oino aon oine eka odin gcig
two duo da duo dva dva gnyis
brother frater brathair phrater bhrata brat
night noct- nochd nukt nakta noþe nam
bear fero berid phero bharami beryot kyer
(‘carry’)
red ruber ruath erathros rudhiras ruda ‘blood’ dmar
foot ped- pod- pad peþkom rkangpa
widow vidua feadhb ephitheos vidhava vdova yugsamo
honey mid meþu madhu med sbrang rtsi
One Root many languages One Origin
Romance (Latin) Languages
Italian : Sardinian : French : Provencal : Catalonian
Spanish : Ladino : Galician : Portuguese : Romansh
Romanian : Moldavian
Latin : Oscan : Umbrian : Faliscan : Sabine : Dalmatian
Slavic Languages
Eastern Branch: Russian : Belorussian : Ukrainian :
Western Slavic Branch: Polish : Sorbian
Czech : Slovak : Slovene : Croatian :
Southern Slavic BranchSerbian
Kashubian : Bulgarian : Macedonian : Bosnian
Old Church Slavic
Celtic Languages
Welsh : Irish Gaelic : Scottish Gaelic : Breton
Cornish : Gaulish : Cumbrian : Manx : Galatian
Germanic languages
English : Dutch : Flemish : Frisian : Afrikaans
German : Yiddish : Danish : Swedish : Norwegian
Faroes : Icelandic
Anglo Saxon : Old Norse : Frankish : Gothic
Lombardo : Visigoth : Vandal
Baltic languages
Lithuanian : Latvian
Prussian
Hellenic Languages
Modern Greek
Mycenaean : Koine : Byzantine Greek
Classical Greek (Attic : Doric, Ionic, Aeolic)
Illyric LanguagesThracian Languages
Armenian
Thracian : Phrygian
Iranian Languages
Farsi : Kurdish : Pashto : Baluchi : Ossetian : Tadzhik
Persian : Avestan : Scythian
Indic Languages
Hindi : Urdu : Nepali : Bengali : Assamese : Oriya
Kashmiri : Punjabi : Sindhi : Marathi : Gujerati
Bhili : Lahnda : Maithili : Magahi
Konkani : Sinhalese : Maldivian : Romany
Sanskrit : Pali
Tokharian Languages
Albanian
Anatolian Languages
Hittite : Lydian : Lycian: Luwian : PalaicTurfanian : Kuchean
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