Why Is It Called Dog?

Do you need something besides Covid-19 to think about?

Here’s something I often wonder, and even Google hasn’t given me satisfying answers.

Why is a dog called dog? Why is a house a house? Why is walk walk? Why are we called people?

Can you see the big question? Why, how and when did the words we use originate?

I decided to Google “when did humans start speaking.” It appears I’m not alone in wondering about this. There’s a few theories and speculations, but nothing very helpful.

These are quotes from one article I found.

“The origin of language and its evolutionary emergence have been subjects of speculation for several centuries. The topic is difficult to study because of lack of direct evidence.”
Okay, I get that, but it wasn’t very satisfying.

Here’s a helpful line.
“The shortage of empirical evidence has led many scholars to regard the entire topic as unsuitable for serious study.”
Sounds like me after awhile of thinking about this, throwing my hands up in the air and muttering, “I don’t know.”

This statement pretty much sums up my research.
“In 1866, the Linguistic Society of Paris banned any existing or future debates on the subject, a prohibition which remained influential across much of the Western world until late in the twentieth century. Today, there are various hypotheses about how, why, when, and where language might have emerged. Despite this, there is scarcely more agreement today than a hundred years ago when Charles Darwin‘s theory of evolution by natural selection provoked a rash of armchair speculation on the topic.”

If I had the gift of time travel I would go back and search for answers.

Well, I think I avoided my chores long enough. No more researching this mystery for me today. 

But really, why is a tree called a tree, a mountain called a mountain?

Sometimes my mind rests, but not often.

I’m curious, have you ever given this subject any thought?

I hope you have support and are staying strong and healthy during this social distancing and often isolation.