Dr David McGrath

Spine Physician

MB BS (Hons) FAFOM, RACP, FAFMM
Master of Pain Medicine

In part1 we looked at the rudimentary development of language. In particular, language may have developed as a question and confirmation sequence of interactions, in a social setting.
In this article, I want to look more closely at a possible extension into vocab and grammar.
To revise part 1, we have, the following sequences.
1. "lion", "yes!" ,both climb up a tree (confirmation sequence)
2. "lion", "yes? ", "yes! " , both climb up a tree (question, confirmation sequence)
In this example, the word "yes" can be either a question (inviting a confirmation ) or a confirmation (inviting immediate action )
Either one or both parties in the conversation, may take action.

Questions and Confirmations can and did become more sophisticated, which hides their simple origin, and the cooperative emotion supporting, this sequence,we call language.
The interaction is recursive, through a series of questions, until, a final confirmation, leading to action,upon the environment.
When we look at words, nearly all of them, can be questions (inviting further response ) or definitive as a full stop. Car?, car ! horse?,horse! A conversation always continues with questions and ends, with a statement. (a new series of questions, can begin)
horse?, maybe?, cow ?, possible?, donkey?, yes! At this point an action ensues, appropriate to the perception of a donkey.That conversation has ended.

Viewed from this perspective, we are not talking about, objects at all. We are sharing disturbances under a consensual emotion, leading to more satisfactory actions, with respect to the general environment.
All words, are social disturbances with either
1.Requests for action (questions)
2.Confirmation of agreed upon actions (statements)