Origin of Language

Origin of Language

The story about the Tower of Babel, found in the Bible (Genesis11:1-9), depicts the descendants of Noah who were intent on building a city with a tower that reached to the heavens. They believed the heavens were not really far from earth and by erecting a tower they could climb up into the sky and become god-like themselves. These people wanted to become famous by proving they were a self-reliant, united, powerful people who didn't have to go out and populate the whole earth as God had commanded them to do. In essence, they had once again become arrogant and disrespectful to God. They over-estimated their importance and believed they no longer needed to rely on their Creator. God was not impressed and decided to put an end to their plans. At the time, everyone on earth spoke the same language. Thus, God created havoc among the dissenters by making them speak several different languages so they could not understand each other. Consequently, there was mass confusion which caused them to abandon plans to build the city and tower. In addition to introducing new languages, God scattered the people around the world.

Does the Tower of Babel story offer an explanation as to the reason for so many world languages? Personally, I believe it does. However, the story can be interpreted in many ways depending on one's beliefs. Sceptics openly scoff at the account and classify the narrative as a nonsensical legend. The tenets of religious modernism are scarcely better. Some view the account as a child-like story characterized by symbolism and as simply primitive man's way of explaining the origin of different human tongues. Others feel the story is very reliable. Although there is no specific evidence to support it, there are many rationales that suggest different languages evolved through God's intervention.

If people could not communicate with each other, they certainly could not understand one another or cooperate with each other. This primeval confusion of tongues emphasizes what modern man often fails to realize: the major divisions among men are not created by racial, physical or geographic differences but, rather, they are the result of linguistic differences which lead to misunderstandings. When the descendents of Noah could no longer communicate with ease, there was no alternative for them but to separate from each other and congregate in societies or groups where their particular language was spoken. If anyone is inclined to question this explanation of the origin of the major language differences, then let he or she offer an explanation that better accounts for all the facts. Since no one has been able to do so as yet, then one must conclude that the gravity of the people's rebellion warranted drastic divine intervention and a miracle took place. Since the major language groups are so different from each other, it is almost inconceivable to believe they could have evolved from a common ancestral language group. Yet, the very fact that all languages can be evaluated by common principles of linguistics and people can learn languages other than their own implies an original common cause for all of them. Indeed, language studies have led many scholars to conclude that the various human tongues ultimately can be traced to a common source.

Max F. Muller, who taught at Oxford University, was one of the world's foremost comparative philologists (one who studies ancient languages and observes their similarities and differences). This celebrated professor wrote: "We have examined all possible forms which language can assume, and we now ask, can we reconcile with these three distinct forms, the radical, the terminational, the inflectional, the

...