West 1 Ryan West Bell 4 9/7/2013 Language: The Divine Gift Language and human society are inseparable.

Throughout time, all human communities have used some form of language communication. Whether it be the guttural clicks used in Tanzanias Khoisan language or to the difficult to learn Slovak language, it is evident that all languages have come from a source. Although scientists have tried to find the source of language, I believe it is a gift from God because evolution of language shows decline in complexity, no one has found a primitive language, and humans are the only species who used language in many different dialects. Evolutionists believe that language has evolved along with man throughout time. This sounds like it is possible in theory, but truthfully; it is extremely easy to disprove it. Modern English has evolved through time, but not in the way you many think. If you look at the progression of language, you could see that it got less complex through time. In early languages such as Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit, there are more intricate grammatical rules than there are in English. As language became what it is today, we have lost many of the rules that dictated our language. Even with this evolution from complex to simple, there still has to be a source of these languages. In Genesis 1, God spoke the earth, universe, and everything into existence. God spoke life into man. There is power in His word and language. In Genesis 2:23, Adam said This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man. This is the earliest record of language. Adam did not form words and sentences

West 2 by his own power. God gave him the ability to speak and use language. Adam also named the animals of the earth. There are no other sources that suggest an earlier language. There are many different theories on how language started, such as the Ding-dong theory (Vajda). This theory says that early humans named objects, actions, and phenomenon after sounds associated with real life. These words were more of a verbal icon rather than actual language. An example of this would be the Chinook Indian word for heart: tun-tun. Another theory that is closely related is the Bow-wow hypothesis. This takes the use of onomatopoeias to symbolize objects, actions, and phenomenon. Both of these theories are disproven by the Bible because Adam used sentences the first time he spoke. Then again, not everybody believes the Bible is the truth. At some point, early language would have been able to form sentences and logical expressions. Where would these come from? Even in modern language, one could see the progression of language by observing an infant learning to communicate. At first its grunts and cries, then it progresses to simple words such as ball or mama. As a child learns more about speaking, it begins to form simple sentences. If that process of language exists, why is it that Adam and Eve were able to speak to each other without taking these steps? Adam did not teach language to Eve. Instead, God gave language to Eve when she was created. Across the globe, Humans have very different languages, and even different dialects within those languages. Scientists have studied if different dialects are present within other animal species, but with no success. They have found very minor things such as coos rather than gruffs while playing, but they are irrelevant. In English, it is evident that we have many different dialects. If a man from Boston came down to Alabama, he would have a hard time understanding some of the things they say. This is not because the language is different, but

West 3 because of the vernacular. If the ability to have different dialects came through evolution, why dont other animal species have them? In Genesis 11:1-9, it said that the whole world had one language, one dialect. The people decided to come together and construct one large city and a tower that reaches the heavens in order to make a name for themselves. But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other. God spread all of the people to different regions of the earth. This is the reason for why humans do not have one specific language for our species. People communicate many different ways in modern society. If language evolved, we would see that the ancient languages would be far less complex than today, but it is the exact opposite. God has given the gift of language to man in order to communicate better with each other. Through the simplicity of modern language, the confusion of the original language, and the exceedingly different vernaculars in language, it is easily recognizable that language is a gift from God.

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Works Cited

Lavenda, Robert. "Components of Language." Oxford University Press - homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Sept. 2013. <http://www.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780195189766/student_resources/Supp_chap _mats/ChCh10/Components_of_Language>.

Palmer, Brian. "Do animals from geographically distant areas speak the same language? Washington Post."Featured Articles From The Washington Post. N.p., 25 June 2012. Web. 7

West 5 Sept. 2013. <http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-06-25/national/35459387_1_japanesemacaques-primate-species-rhesus-macaques>.

Vajda, Edward. "Linguistics 201: The Origin of Language." Pandora Web Space | Center for Instructional Innovation | Western Washington University. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Sept. 2013. <http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/vajda/ling201/test1materials/origin_of_language.htm>.

"BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 100 versions and 50 languages.." BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 100 versions and 50 languages.. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Sept. 2013. <http://www.biblegateway.com/>