Which linguistic hypothesis suggests that human speech developed from an innate urge to mimic sounds in the environment_______________?
Show answer Hide answer
Answer: B. The Bow-vow theory
Explanation
The bow-wow theory suggests human language began as primitive attempts to copy environmental sounds. Early humans supposedly named animals and objects after the noises they naturally produced. This onomatopoeic hypothesis forms one of several classic speculations on language evolution. The origins of human language remain a subject of considerable debate among evolutionary scientists. Onomatopoeia refers to words that phonetically imitate the natural sounds they describe. Nineteenth-century linguists proposed various playful theories about how speech first emerged.
Linguistics courses often discuss these historical theories to illustrate early scientific inquiries into speech. Modern evolutionary biology prefers evidence-based approaches over speculative sound-imitation hypotheses. Children naturally use sound-imitation words when they begin acquiring early vocabulary skills. The ding-dong theory claims language arose from an innate resonance connecting things to sounds. The pooh-pooh theory argues speech began with instinctive emotional cries of pain or surprise. The gesture theory proposes that physical hand movements preceded vocal speech in human evolution.
- Subject
- English
- Category
- English Literature
- Topic
- —
- Difficulty
- medium
Related questions
Q1. What is the underlying central theme of the work_____________?
Show answer Hide answer
Answer: D. the point a writer is trying to make about a subject.
The central theme represents the fundamental argument or message an author communicates about a topic. It goes beyond mere plot summary to express a broader insight regarding human experience. Readers identify the theme...
Q2. What factors can be considered the primary catalysts for Satan’s rebellion and fall ?
Show answer Hide answer
Answer: D. pride
In Milton's epic, Satan's rebellion is driven primarily by excessive pride and ambition against God. This fatal hubris blinds the fallen angel to the absolute futility of opposing divine omnipotence. Selecting pride accu...
Q3. Who is credited with establishing the field of semiotics______________?
Show answer Hide answer
Answer: A. Charles Sanders Pierce
Charles Sanders Peirce independently established foundational principles for the modern field of semiotics. His philosophical framework analyzed signs, interpretants, and objects in logical systems. Peirce created a comp...
Q4. What is the central subject or theme of Tennyson’s narrative poem ‘The Princess’ ?
Show answer Hide answer
Answer: C. Women’s Education and Rights
Alfred Lord Tennyson dedicated his narrative poem to exploring women educational rights. The plot centers on a fictional women university and contemporary gender roles. Social debates regarding female intellectual capabi...
Q5. What is the formal term for the analytical study of signs and symbols __________?
Show answer Hide answer
Answer: C. Both “a” & “b”
Both semiotics and semiology serve as accepted formal terms for the study of signs. The two terms share overlapping histories and theoretical applications in modern scholarship. The correct option acknowledges that both...
Q6. What was the result of the supportive communities formed among female enslaved people_______________?
Show answer Hide answer
Answer: C. Resistance against dehumanization.
Supportive communities among enslaved women provided vital emotional strength against systematic dehumanization. These networks fostered mutual aid and preserved human dignity in brutal circumstances. Collective solidari...