why we have many languages?

@Arya,

Hi,

Its a great question.

If you consider the human body the means by which human consciousness communicates with each other (i.e. receiving and sending information), the transmitting and receiving sound via language is one of the more essential ways to do this. When I see a brain and I spine in a human body, I see a walking antenna. Smile

Languages enables relationships and joint creation. There are other ways to communicate, but sound seems to be the easiest. How did the ability to communicate via language (written and spoken) is beyond my comprehension at this time.

Why there are different languages goes back to what people are doing together and how they come to a consensus on how to communicate it. People in different parts of the world are doing different things, and create words to describe it. It is possible to translate, but often the translations are just approximations, and you have to be very much aware of the culture and the times to comprehend the meaning behind the word - and even then there is probably disagreement.

Nice question!

Rich

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@Arya,

Is there a linguist in the house? I would like to know this myself. Welcome, Arya. Glad you are here.

William

1 Reply

@William,

Yes I'm a linguist and I answered most of this here
http://www.philosophyforum.com/forum/philosophy-forums/branches-philosophy/philosophy-language/4015-diversity-language.html

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@Arya,

Arya;72789 wrote:

Good evening

I have questions for you philosophers

1- Why there are many languages in the world?

2- Why human do not use only one language to communicate all people?

3- From where language came?? I mean who invented them, who devloped them?

peace and blessing

1. Well, the scientific explenation is that language evolves and humans moves. Languages has developed in all the ends of the world, and therefore, different languages.
2. Humans tend to be proud of their roots, I would certainly not give up my swedish for another language. It wouldn't work, the ones that are going to tach the next generation their language already know one language too well to able to switch to another language.
3. I can't answer this question properly, but there are theories about a original language, that all languages come from or that languages just has been created by the humans years and years ago. I think there was a village somewhere in Irak that created a new language a couple of years ago when most of the villagers became deaf..

Well... That's what I think
Oh, post number 100 Smile

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@Arya,

Arya;72789 wrote:

2- Why human do not use only one language to communicate all people?

Well, what language would it be?

1 Reply

@Theages,

Hi richrf

Its really nice and simple explanation especially for a beginners like me, specially the third paragraph it's really convinced, but that make me imagine at future that each one of us can create his own language

Thank you Mr. Richrf good answer

Quote:

Is there a linguist in the house?

No
Anyway thank you william

GoshisDead thank you very much for this beneficial link very helpful Smile

Lily first of all congratulation for your 100 post

Secondly, thank you fro answering my question I cannot discuss with you because I have no idea completely about this topic

But you did good job by illustrating your answer thank you very much

Quote:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Arya
2- Why human do not use only one language to communicate all people?

Well, what language would it be?

hello theagas

Maybe English because its common language

1 Reply

@Arya,

Arya;73149 wrote:

Maybe English because its common language

You are correct that it seems to be the new global language. There have been other "common languages" before (though never on a global scale): Latin in the areas dominated by the Roman Empire, Greek in the areas dominated by the Byzantine Empire, Spanish in the areas dominated by the Spanish Empire, Russian in the areas dominated by the Soviet Union, Chinese in the areas dominated by Imperial China, and now English in the places dominated by Britain and America.

Do you see the common pattern here? A "common language" is a single language mutually used by large groups of disparate peoples, but large groups of disparate peoples only come to the mutual use of single language as a result of one group dominating the rest.

So, to answer your question, all people don't use a single language because that would necessarily require that they submit themselves to another group, and lots of people don't like that.

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@Arya,

What's your native language, Arya?

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@Arya,

[QUOTE]Do you see the common pattern here? A "common language" is a single language mutually used by large groups of disparate peoples, but large groups of disparate peoples only come to the mutual use of single language as a result of one group dominating the rest.[/QUOTE]

Quote:

So, to answer your question, all people don't use a single language because that would necessarily require that they submit themselves to another group, and lots of people don't like that.

So Mr. Theages that mean each one must have more then 3 languages at least to communicate the people in world Razz

: P
Oh it's so difficult
Anyhow thank you for this good information thank you a lot

[QUOTE]What's your native language, Arya?[/QUOTE]

Mixture of English and Arabic Smile

1 Reply

@Arya,

Arya;73322 wrote:

Mixture of English and Arabic

Would you want to give the arabic stuff up?

1 Reply

@Lily,

Quote:

Would you want to give the arabic stuff up?

No, I love the Arabic language and I am very proud because I am fluency in this language, but here in my country people do not speak pure Arabic
Our language here is mix of Arabic with much of English words and phrases; moreover English in my city is the official language and not Arabic

1 Reply

@Arya,

Arya;73351 wrote:

No, I love the Arabic language and I am very proud because I am fluency in this language, but here in my country people do not speak pure Arabic
Our language here is mix of Arabic with much of English words and phrases; moreover English in my city is the official language and not Arabic

And that's why we probably never only have one language in the world.
Arabic seems like a very intresting language, but the only things I can say in arabic are curses:sarcastic:

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@Arya,

Arya;72789 wrote:

Good evening

I have questions for you philosophers

1- Why there are many languages in the world?

As cultures differ, so do languages, art, music, etc. Would you really expect ancient China and ancient Egypt to speak the exact same language?

Arya;72789 wrote:

2- Why human do not use only one language to communicate all people?

Because universal languages have failed. Look at Esperanto, there are only a handful of people who learn it, but its goal was to become the international language. It's the joke of linguistics.

Arya;72789 wrote:

3- From where language came?? I mean who invented them, who devloped them?

Language came into existence to express emotions, opinions, etc. It's not just humans, animals communicate through as well, but it can only be guessed that their language is much simpler, probably just using simple words, as animals' intelligence levels differ from our own.

Early cultures developed what we know as "language."

Arya;72789 wrote:

peace and blessing

You too. :Glasses:

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@Arya,

Because language changes over time. People who don't live one another pretty quickly can't speak to one another. Just look at the Romance languages: only 2,300 years ago there was only one unified language: Latin. Now there's something like ten different major tongues derived from it.

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@Arya,

I was thinking about this yesterday(because I think it sucks that I can't communicate with everyone) and the only thing I can really come up with is that it would be too hard. But is that really a good reason to not try? Arguments would ensue as to what language to use or how to formulate that language. People would be mad because they like for their language to be a reflection of their cultures. Then we would have to have people proficient in that language to teach it to all those who weren't. It would probably have to be something we would have to start teaching in school at a young age and it would take several generation to integrate. Then we would need to translate all current libraries. But I don't know....I still feel like the benefits would outweigh all the problems.

I guess a more plausible solution would be the "Star Trek Universal Translator" in which everyone could talk in their native language and everyone would be understood in that language as well

1 Reply

@Amperage,

Amperage;120570 wrote:

I was thinking about this yesterday(because I think it sucks that I can't communicate with everyone) and the only thing I can really come up with is that it would be too hard. But is that really a good reason to not try? Arguments would ensue as to what language to use or how to formulate that language. People would be mad because they like for their language to be a reflection of their cultures. Then we would have to have people proficient in that language to teach it to all those who weren't. It would probably have to be something we would have to start teaching in school at a young age and it would take several generation to integrate. Then we would need to translate all current libraries. But I don't know....I still feel like the benefits would outweigh all the problems.

I guess a more plausible solution would be the "Star Trek Universal Translator" in which everyone could talk in their native language and everyone would be understood in that language as well

The Tower of Babel Affair

1 Reply

@kennethamy,

kennethamy;120592 wrote:

The Tower of Babel Affair

lol....I know the story.

It was just something I was thinking about the other day. I'm surprised that we haven't tried to unify language. We are obviously destined to not be able to

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@Arya,

Arya;72789 wrote:

1- Why there are many languages in the world?

Because of the human factor, we can't convey things 100%, it will decay or changes due to our lingual preception are different from person to person, and our ability to pronouce things 100% correctly is impossible, there will always be a slight mispronouciation.

Can anybody rememer everything they learned through their life 100%? No ordinary person can. (Maybe only savants would memorize every word, and it's meaning, but not pronounce them 100% correct.)

There are always people with poor preception of things, and will also influent the language.

[QUOTE=Arya;72789]Why human do not use only one language to communicate all people?[/quote]

If you note blue streak from upper class people, they will both pronounce words differently and have different kind of vocabulary.

That's probaly the basics why we can't have just 1 language and therefore it will automaticly evolve. The blue streak probaly abhore snobby pronounciation, and the upper class abhore crude and primitive pronounciation.

[QUOTE=Arya;72789]From where language came?? I mean who invented them, who devloped them?[/QUOTE]

It probaly originated from primitive verbal grunting. People with lingual affinity would refine them, and over millinia refine them into verbs ..etc.

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why we have many languages?

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