Communication

1. Communication Human Communication

2. Although we have a limited vocabulary, those words can be endlessly combined to form an infinite number of sentences, phrases, and meanings! Our minds are also adept enough to comprehend non-verbal information given to us by the people around us We can read into situations, symbols, and body language to glean meaning

3. How did language develop? We know the language we speak is tens of thousands of years old, yet we have no tangible clues as to where it came from However (as always) we have several theories

4. #1 – The Bow-Wow Theory This theory states that speech is imitative of sounds such as the barking of dogs and other animals

5. #2 – The Pooh-Pooh Theory This theory states that speech comes from instinctive responses caused by pain, heat or cold, happiness, sadness, and other intense feelings or sensations

6. #3 – The Yo-He-Ho Theory This theory states that words first came into being as a result of expressions we make following strong muscular efforts such as moving heavy objects and swinging from tree to tree The body was relieved by letting the air come out strongly, producing sounds such as “heave” and “haul”

7. #5 – The Gestural Theory This theory states that speech came about when man tried to imitate with their voices the gestures they were making with their bodies in order to communicate with people

8. #6 – The Tarara-Boom-De-Ay Theory This theory states that speech began when man’s early vocal activities tended toward a meaningless humming or singing When a group of early men succeeded in bringing down an animal, they would have been filled with joy and strike up a chant of success something like “tarara-boom-de-ay” The sounds of this chant could have come to mean, “We have brought the beast down, hurrah! Let’s give thanks.”

9. Exercise #1 Which of these theories is most helpful? Which is least believable? Why is it difficult to establish, beyond a doubt, where early language came from?

10. The Evolution of Language • Language can be altered by both time and geography • Over the last three centuries the English spoken by Canadians, Americans, and Australians has grown away from the English spoken in the United Kingdom • Even there, many linguistic differences arise

11. Pronunciation can change while a word stays the same • “aecre” is the same as “acre” (pronounce the “ae” as the “a” in “man”) • New words can also come into practice, borrowed from other languages • i.e., “auto” in French as opposed to “voiture” • Language can also change as groups move apart, leading to a gradual change in accents • One can see the impact of geographic isolation on the linguistic similarities and differences in the following activies

12. Exercise #2 Group the languages into groups that are similar Number them 1-6 Place the numbers on the accompanying world map to get a visual representation of the geographic impact on language

13. Languages on the World Map

14. Exercise #3 Work through handout on words and spelling we use as Canadians

15. Ancient Text Fæderúre, ðúðeeart on heofonum, Síðínnamagehálgod. Tóbecumeðín rice. Gewurdeðínwilla On eorþanswáswá on heofonum. Urnedægwhamlícanhlafsyleústódæg. And forgyfúsúregyltas, Swáswáwéforgyfaþúrumgyltendum. And ne gelædðuús on costnunge, Ac álýsús of yfele. Sóþlice.

16. Exercise #4 Read through “Don’t Be A Gomer About Teen Speak”