TEACH US SOMETHING COOL | THE ORIGINS & EVOLUTION OF LANGUAGE | Recorded on April 7th, 2021  The origin of language (spoken and signed, as well as language related technological systems such as writing), its relationship with human evolution, and its consequences, have been a centuries-long subject of study for the human race. The topic is difficult to study because of the lack of direct evidence. Consequently, scholars wishing to study the origins of language must draw inferences from other kinds of evidence such as the fossil record, archaeological evidence, contemporary language diversity, studies of language acquisition and comparisons between human language and systems of communication existing among animals (particularly other primates). Many argue that the origins of language probably relate closely to the origins of modern human behavior, but there is little agreement about the implications and directionality of this connection.  This shortage of empirical evidence has caused many scholars to regard the entire topic as unsuitable for serious study. In 1866, the Linguistic Society of Paris banned any existing or future debates on the subject, a prohibition which remained influential across much of the Western world until late in the twentieth century. Today, there are various hypotheses about how, why, when, and where language might have emerged. Despite this, there is scarcely more agreement today than a hundred years ago, when Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection provoked a rash of armchair speculation on the topic. Since the early 1990s, however, a number of linguists, archaeologists, psychologists, anthropologists, and others have attempted to address what some consider one of the hardest problems in science with new methods.  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  TEACH US SOMETHING COOL - LIVE Discussions On NEW Topics - EVERY Wednesday @ 8:30 pm CST  |  Wanna join our future discussions or listen in as we record them EVERY Wednesday at 8:30 pm CST? Follow this link to join our FREE Discord:  https://linktr.ee/mikeloweofficial​​​​​  |  Wanna spread some wealth with ya boy Lowedaddy? You can here:  https://streamlabs.com/growthsaloon/t...​  |  Wanna connect with Lowedaddy on the interweb? You can find me here:  https://linktr.ee/mikeloweofficial​​