“Language is the foundation of civilization, it is the glue that holds the people together, it is the first weapon drawn in a conflict.” (Arrival, 2016)
When we’re babies, we first learn through interaction. Interaction is another term for the imitating behavior that almost all infants use to copy their parents and other kids. Kid’s imitations start mostly between the ages of 3 to 8 months, and the first knowledge they acquire by imitation is usually limited to simple actions, like face gestures and sounds they are related with. Babies start imitating facial expressions and gestures from their mothers, fathers or other kids that they are around – Then, they start making vowel and consonant-vowel sounds like aaahh, ee, boo, daa, etcetera. At this time – about two and six months of age, they are just beginning to experiment with the sounds they can make and sounds they have been used to hearing for several months, but, after 12 or 18 months of age, kids start to utter and attach words with meanings, and so on.
There is no exact age for all kids to begin these steps, but it is a fact that kids start learning languages very quickly, and very early in development. Some studies performed earlier this decade have even proven that infants are able to become bilingual before being able to speak, simply by listening to multiple languages in the home. Even when learning a second language, infants and toddlers have the ability to learn languages faster than adults.
Why language makes us different from animals
We know that, as babies, we first learn by imitation, and then move on to more complex communication methods, such as experimentation with sounds, very quickly. But many species can do this – What makes us different from, for example, apes? They communicate by simple inarticulate sounds that just express basic thoughts, such as: I’m hungry, I’m sleepy, Let’s go hunt. With their simple communication system, they can just express physiological needs, and can’t share more complex thoughts or desires.
Language facilitates us to share our thoughts, feelings, and desires with others, and enables us to form a better organized society. Language is vital for human connection and communication. Although there are more than 6,000 languages spoken in the world today, where did it start? Ancient civilizations, such as the Mesopotamians and Incans, developed the first languages that comprise the base of our communications today.
What makes a Civilization successful?
First of all, we need to understand what a civilization is and what makes it successful. According to Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, civilization is “a state of human society that is very developed and organized”. Now we know that a Civilization is a complex form of society, but what are the big factors in allowing these structures to flourish? There are 5 key characteristics that a society must have to be successful. I’ll explain these below:
- Urban areas: These centers allow the civilization to develop.
- Architecture and infrastructure: Every civilization we know of wants to preserve their legacy, with monuments and infrastructure making it feasible.
- Political structure: All civilizations need a government to lead them towards becoming an advanced civilization that works efficiently. Furthermore, someone has to manage the community’s resources and ensure the society is being productive enough to survive.
- Class structure and division of labor: The division of society into classes according to type of work performed (division of labor by specialization) and according to levels of incomes are the two main class structures in ancient civilizations.
- Verbal and written communication: Communication is, perhaps, the most important component that allowed all civilizations to proliferate. As I said before, language is vital for creating human connections. All these components mentioned before are mostly transmitted by oral and written language. Every civilization developed its own unique language depending on their geographical and demographic areas. Language, verbal and written, has been the main communication channel of ancient civilizations to share sharing thoughts, knowledge, behaviors, and culture.
