Linguistic(语言学的)PuzzlesHowdidlanguagebegin?Whatwastheworld'sfirstlanguage?Doalllanguagescomefromone,originallanguage?(71)___.Inthe4thcenturyBC,theGreekhistorianHerodotuswrotethisa
Linguistic(语言学的)Puzzles
Howdidlanguagebegin?Whatwastheworld'sfirstlanguage?Doalllanguagescomefromone,originallanguage?(71)___.
Inthe4thcenturyBC,theGreekhistorianHerodotuswrotethisaccount:PsamtikIanEgyptianKing,wantedtofindoutwhattheoldestlanguageintheworldwas(72)___..Hetoldhisservanttofindtwonewbornbabies.Whentheservanthadfoundthem,thekinggavethemtoashepherd(牧羊人)andsaid,"Keepthesebabieswiththegoats.Takecareofthem,butdonottalktothem.Listenforanywordsthattheysay."Thekingwantedtofindoutwhatlanguagethechildrenwouldspeakiftheywereleftalone.Hesaid,"Thefirstwordstheyspeakwillcomefromtheoriginallanguageoftheworld."
(73)___.Hetoldtheking.whoaskedhisscholarsaboutthisword.TheytoldhimthatthePhiygians,wholivedinanareawhichisnowTurkey,calledbread"becos."Thekingsaid,"ThenPhiygianistheoldestlanguage."Todayweknowthattheking'sconclusionwaswrong.Wedon'tknowwhythechildrensaid"becos".
(74)___.ScholarsdiscoveredthatmanyEuropeanandsouthernAsianlanguagesbelongedtothesame"family"andthattheystartedfromthesameparentlanguage,Proto-Indo-European.Linguiststhinkthatithadsplitintoseveraldifferentlanguages,includingGreekandSanskrit,between2000and1000BC.Otherlanguages,suchasEnglishandSpanish,developedfromlatersplits.
(75)___.Twoquestionsthatinterestlinguistsare:Howdoeslanguagechange?Whydoeslanguagechange?Ifyoulikesolvingmysteries,historicallinguisticsmaybethejobforyou.
A.Nowadays,westudytheoriginoflanguagemorescientifically
B.Hewastalkingaboutthisproblemwithhisscholarswhenhehadanidea
C.TheKingwasverykindtohisservantandhisservantremainedroyaltohim
D.Linguistsarethescholarswhoareveryinterestedincategorizingthelanguagefamilies
E.Peoplehavebeentryingtofindtheanswerstothesequestionsformorethan2,000years
F.Oneday,whilethebabieswerebabblingtoeachother,theshepherdheardthemsay"becos"
G.Linguistshaveclassifiedmanylanguagefamilie