Perhaps, words express attitudes and try to cause attitudes {boo-hoorah theory}.
Perhaps, manual gestures can have meaning and syntax {gestural theory}, and brain language centers control first arm movements and then vocal tract. Speech frees hands and arms and allows communication at night [Browman and Goldstein, 1991].
Perhaps, human speech began as reactions to pains or emotions {interjectional theory} [Bickerton, 1981] [Bickerton, 1990] [Bickerton, 1995] [Chagnon, 1992] [Smith, 1985].
Perhaps, human speech began as sound imitations {onomatopoeia} {onomatopoeic theory} [Bickerton, 1981] [Bickerton, 1990] [Bickerton, 1995] [Chagnon, 1992] [Smith, 1985].
Perhaps, human speech began from meaningless chants {sing-song theory} [Bickerton, 1981] [Bickerton, 1990] [Bickerton, 1995] [Chagnon, 1992] [Smith, 1985].
Perhaps, words began from sounds used in physical activities, sound quality or tone changes, and sound metaphors {sound-symbolism} [Smith, 1985].
Angular gyrus and TPO connect vision and hearing sense qualities to cause synesthesia. Hand and mouth motor areas are adjacent and move similarly {synkinesia}. Visual areas link to Broca's motor area. Emotional vocalizations start from right hemisphere and anterior cingulate. Perhaps, visual-auditory, hand-mouth, and mouth-visual brain areas evolve to work together {synesthetic bootstrapping theory}. Perhaps, tool-making steps became syntax and nested phrases {hierarchic embedding} [Ramachandran, 2004].
Perhaps, human speech began from spontaneous work grunts {yo-he-ho theory} [Bickerton, 1981] [Bickerton, 1990] [Bickerton, 1995] [Chagnon, 1992] [Smith, 1985].
6-Linguistics-Language-Beginnings
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Date Modified: 2022.0225