Language Health

The Creationist Theory: A continuation of the origin of language   Saying apes can acquire language because they can learn some simple signs … is like saying humans can fly because they can jump” – Noam Chomsky (Horgan, J., Profile of Chomsky,  Scientific American ,  262 (5):17, 1990) The real reason why people deny that the different languages were created by God, is so that they can use bad language. After all, if language is not God-given, there are no objective standards and anything goes” Paul Braterman stated as he defends the reality of God being the originator of language. ( https://paulbraterman.wordpress.com/2015/07/24/linguistic-creationism/ ). The creationist theory holds that God created language as well as the world. It believes that man from onset was created with the ability to speak. This is because beyond just a creationist, God was also a speaking being (Genesis 1:3; Genesis 2:18), who spoke everything into existence (Genesis 1...

...a continuation from episode 2: -  Where does Language Originates from? The argument where language emanates from has never been a settled phenomenon. The divide is anchored on the facet of one’s believe or ideology. X-raying the fact that language is not acquired in isolation but with a mixture of natural phenomenon stimulated by the speech pattern in our communication environment, ideologies postulating and placing origin of language on interactions between man and its immediate environments might sound cool and ok. This however, looks at the language system as man has evolved and interacted over time. It does not explain the situation when the first man was alone with animals before the population of the earth. "Relaying to the fact that the language community at the time was with animals, how was he able to speak/communicate distinctively. How come his speech pattern became entirely different from that of other animals? How come there is no understanding bet...

Episode 2: (A continuation from Episode 1) This natural endowment inmate in every child helps the child to acquire and develop language in very explicit sense. Although the child can by nature learn and develop language, he does not attain to that fit on his own. The child picks the language symbols inherent in his imminent environment. The most spoken language in the environment where the child is becomes the language he will adapt to. By implication, if the child is born in an Ibo family yet expose to a Yoruba speaking environment, the child acquires the yoruba language instead of Igbo. Is Language Genetic? The presence of gene in humans reveal lots and loads of information in relation to one's existence, history and family background. It also reveal the treats in existence in one's family. So, one could by nature affiliate the acquisition of language to this biological existing nature in human. Unfortunately and fortunately (depending on the divide you belon...

Episode 1 ~ The concept of language acquisition came about through studies of how language actually emanates in an individual. Some scholars like Noam Chomsky, Bloomfield and the likes began studying how language came into existence, how language is developed in children. These studies made them to come up with various theories explaining how language emanates. But one thing that is sure is that they all agree that children acquire language from their imminent language community. This implies that the language spoken often in the environment of the child is what the child acquires. What then is Language Acquisition? Language acquisition in its simplest definition is the process to which children develop language while growing up. A child acquires language naturally although with some help. According to Noam Chomsky, the child is endowed with a device (Language Acquisition Device, LAD) that helps him/her to acquire language. Bloomfield suggested that the child does not just...