Posted on 07/21/2004 6:31:50 PM PDT by blam
Baby's first word filled Stone Age Papa with pride
By David Derbyshire, Science Correspondent
(Filed: 22/07/2004)
One of the first words to be uttered by Stone Age babies was probably "papa", according to scientists trying to piece together the origins of human language.
Researchers believe the word may have been passed down through the generations from a "proto-language" spoken 50,000 years ago.
However, other linguists have argued that "papa", "dada" and "mama" are common in many languages simply because they are the first noises made by babbling babies.
A new French study has found that the word "papa" is used in almost 700 out of 1,000 languages - and in 71 per cent of cases it means father or a male relative on the father's side.
"There is only one explanation for the consistent meaning of the word 'papa': a common ancestry," said Dr Pierre Bancel, from the Association for the Study of Linguistics and Prehistoric Anthropology in Paris.
He presented the findings at the Origins of Language and Psychosis conference in Oxford this month, New Scientist reported yesterday.
Linguists are divided over the origins of languages and the roots of family words. Some claim they stem from a common language spoken 50,000 years ago or more. Others say the idea of a single "proto-language" is nonsense and that different languages have sprung up independently.
Across the 14 major language groups, the words for mother and father are similar. In Swahili and Mandarin they are mama and baba, in Malay they are emak and bapa, in Apalai - spoken in the Amazon - they are aya and papa, while in Bengali they are ma and baba.
Supporters of the common origins believe these words are proof of a common ancestry. But others say the first noises babbled by babies tend to be ma-ma-ma followed by da-da-da or pa-pa-pa, because of the way the human brain is programmed.
Dr Don Ringe, a linguist at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, said parents associate the first sound babies make with themselves. That could lead to a word like "papa" acquiring a similar meaning in many languages.
Some words of similar sound and meaning, such as the English "day" and the Spanish "dia" are known to have arisen independently.
Si, Papa. Con dos`huevos fritos y chorizo, por favor.
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