In the beginning of the 19th century Newton's Mechanical Theory rose in popularity. This theory criticized pseudoscience's teleological claims that failed to lay down a plausible chronological timeline. The stage was now set for evolutionists to explain the design of human development with mechanical theory in mind. Darwin readily filled this gap by hypothesizing that language originated from primal instinctive utterances and a vast amount of animal calls that occurred in human's earliest natural environment (Bow-Wow Theory & Pooh-Pooh Theory). This supports his previous theories in his works, Origin of Species and Descent of Man, which leads back to his idea that man's features and behaviors merely transpired from a plethora of unrelated species and natural noises from expressive emotion. These concepts all call upon the selection of design, which is achieved by the gradual effect of selection, variation, and replication onto a species.
August Schleicher, a linguist and a former naturalist, built upon Darwin's ideas. Schleicher delved deeper into the development of early human language and primarily focused on the transitions that occur throughout the language's "life span". He hypothesized that languages were fundamentally living organisms that had periods of growth, maturity, and decline. He strengthened this idea by creating tree-like diagrams that illustrated a singular root language being recycled and branched out until new dialects and tongues were established. This process ultimately transformed the etymological basis, which sustains the selection of design system.
Theories both Darwin and Schleicher used in their research were coined and credited to a philosopher named Max Muller. He was a known theistic evolutionary who credited God with human evolution and even created the term "science of religion". His hypothesis of language origin was based around ethnography and Semitic grouping, which ascertained the individual's race by analyzing the language and often the gesticulatory patterns. He even went as far as to try to make language a physical science.
Muller seemed to have failed to notice his oversight in this field since he puts little thought into how the brain's cognitive processes can impair speech, how accession to native tongue is constantly being assimilated due to intermingling, nor how language and gesticulatory patterns are extremely inconsistent with external factors being a component of everyday life. The effectiveness of classifying a group of people based on such unreliable groundwork that continues to evolve without notion seems negligent. This is why selection of design and Schleicher's ideas on the "life span" of vernacular tongue correctly grasps the idea that language will never be static enough for accurate categorization.
The origins of human language still has little substantial evidence for any valuable foundation to be built off of. Early forms of communication were most likely formed due to natural selection of humans with larger brains since they could solve increasingly complex issues, which in turn meant they could survive, reproduce and successfully pass on the larger brain gene. The newfound dominance most likely created an environment where humans could explore new ideas and socialize more often without the constant threat of death.
Explanation:
I didn't know much at all about this subject but I thoroughly enjoyed learning! I'm really not sure if this will help you at all but I hope it does in some way. I typed a lot sorry, I hope some of the correct answer is in there! I kind of just went with it haha
