Lesson March 13th 2012

Today is reviewed the properties of language, also added another one that is that language is intentional (used with a porpouse in mind). Then we answer these questions:

1. Why is it said that people in East Africa developed more than the rest?

2. What happened to the earlier languages on Earth?

3. According to Dr Johanna Nichols, what were the first utterances made by Humans?

based on this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OuUAPVFFCRQ.

Also we saw that

-Humans managed to develop certain organs that enabled them to produce speech.

-Prehistoric times, humankind was in contact with nature. As time passed, these early human groups started developing, having more members, and social needs began to arise.

-There is a key moment in history that marked the difference between humans and animals. This is when humans learnt how to walk on two feet. Our bodies changed and we developed what we call the "pharynx".

-In Prehistoric times, the first sounds produced by humans were those that came from nature, since humans' needs back then were immediate and basic.

and answer these questions:

1. What is the biblical story of "the Tower of Babel"?

2. What does historical evidence tell us of this biblical event?

3. What's the relationship between genes and language?

4. Why do languages constantly change?

based on this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=irGk5PItLgk

and had to make this: