April 14, 2021
Curious Kids: How are languages formed?
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. Have a question you鈥檇 like an expert to answer? Send it to CuriousKidsCanada@theconversation.com.
How are languages formed? 鈥 Pearl, 12, Regina, Sask.
Easily! In fact, you can create a new language right now.
Simply choose some sounds, like 鈥渇,鈥 鈥渕,鈥 and 鈥渆,鈥 and invent words with them: fme could mean 鈥渟hrimp,鈥 em could mean 鈥渆at,鈥 e 鈥渋t,鈥 and ef 鈥渋s.鈥 Next, organize these words into sentences 鈥 and feel free to use a :
- e fme ef 鈥渋t鈥檚 a shrimp鈥 (literally: it shrimp is)
- e em fme ef 鈥渋t is eating shrimp鈥 (literally: it eat shrimp is)
- e fme em 鈥渋t ate shrimp鈥 (literally: it shrimp eat)
- fme em e 鈥渟hrimp ate it鈥 (literally: shrimp ate it)
By the way, !
This is the genius of human language. We can create and learn thousands of words by pairing meanings with arbitrary strings of meaningless sounds (or signs). We can also generate and understand an infinity of sentences according to the language鈥檚 grammar 鈥 .
Over 7,000 languages
Today, our world , each with its own words and particular grammar. These languages are so mindbogglingly different that you might think, 鈥渁nything goes!鈥 But in reality, there are countless possibilities in and grammars that never occur.
For example, our invented sentences above involve a grammar that has not been found in any human languages, including past ones!
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In , the meaning of e em fme ef could be expressed with the equivalent of 鈥渋t shrimp eat is,鈥 or 鈥渋t is shrimp eat,鈥 or 鈥渋t shrimp is eat.鈥
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Similarly, the meaning of e fme em could be expressed with the equivalent of 鈥渋t shrimp ate鈥 in Old English, and the meaning of fme em e could be expressed with 鈥渟hrimp it ate,鈥 but apparently no speakers of Old English 鈥 or any other language 鈥 would insist on saying both 鈥渋t shrimp ate鈥 and 鈥渟hrimp ate it,鈥 as in e fme em and fme em e.
The genius of human language is that we can create and learn thousands of words by pairing meanings with arbitrary strings of meaningless sounds (or signs).
Unsplash/Jason Leung
So, if we taught our newly invented language to children, chances are they would . What鈥檚 possible in a human language and by the way language works in our human brains. This is why the famous linguist Noam Chomsky claims that
Universal Grammar
As a very general example of universal grammar, we humans do not simply string words together in sentences, but rather we organize words into 鈥渃hunks鈥 called phrases. This chunking allows us to create and make sense of complex sentences like 鈥渟hrimp shrimp eat eat shrimp,鈥 meaning 鈥渢he shrimp that other shrimp eat also eat shrimp.鈥
More generally, humans are in terms of sounds, words, meanings and grammar, so much so that it becomes increasingly difficult to understand our own distant relatives across time and space. In effect, we come to speak different languages!
So that鈥檚 how new languages are formed, but to be honest, linguists aren鈥檛 sure why languages change in the first place. We don鈥檛 know why speakers of Old English shifted their grammar to 鈥渋t is eating shrimp鈥 from earlier 鈥渋t shrimp eating is鈥 or 鈥渋t is shrimp eating.鈥
The older word order survives to this day in forming nouns: 鈥渟hrimp-eating.鈥
Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you鈥檇 like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsCanada@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live. And since curiosity has no age limit 鈥 adults, let us know what you鈥檙e wondering, too. We won鈥檛 be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.
is associate professor of linguistics in the School of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures and Cultures at the 荔枝视频.
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