Historical Linguistics

The birthdate of Linguistics

Aristotle – Plato (427-348 BC)– Panini (4BC)

Bishop Robert Lowth: “A short

Introduction to English Grammar

with Critical Notes”

The birthdate of Linguistics:

1786 Sir William

Jones: Sanskrit

Evolution of Language

Young Grammarians: Language Regularities

The Father of Linguistics

Descriptive Linguistics

Structural Linguistics

Noam ChomskySyntactic Structures Generative Grammar

Theories of Language Origin

Historical Linguistics

Divine Theories

Babel Tower

Divine Theories

NabuThoth

Pharaoh Psammetichus

First Experiment

Holy Roman Emperor

Frederick II of Hosenstaufen

Second experiment

James IV of Scotland

Third Experiment

Johannes Goropius Becanus “The perfect language”

“all languages derived ultimately from Brabantic”

His etymologies have been considered "linguistic chauvinism." Leibniz coined the term "goropism" to mean "absurd etymology." "Never have I read greater nonsense," the scholar Joseph Scaliger wrote of Goropius' etymologies.

Noah Webster = Aramaic

Joseph Elkins

Theory of Evolution of Languages

Monogenesis: one common source

Yo-he-ho: rhythmic chants and vocalisms

Uh-oh: warnings

Ta-ta: oral gestures from hand gestures

Pooh-pooh: sighs of pleasure, moans of pain, and other semi-involuntarycries or exclamations

Bow-wow: animal sounds

Ding-Dong: onomatopoeia

Homework

Task 3

Write your own theory of language origin