m0p@k.cc.purdue.edu (S. Kulikowski) (11/12/87)
since there has been a lot mail about language learning crystallization and
possible deprivation experiments, i recall reading about one such experiment
conducted by the ancient egyptians... probably the earliest language learning
experiment in history.
it seems that the priests were endlessly debating which language was the
root tongue from which all other languages descended. this would presumably
be the purest language of the gods and most proper for worship. to end this
debate, the pharoh ordered that a pair of twins be taken at birth and raised
in a temple by priests under a vow of silence. they were never to hear a
single word of contemporary languages, so whatever speech they developed would
be the purest language.
eventually the twins began to speak to each other. from what we know today
of twin idiolects this seems quit probable. apparently the first
recognizeable word they developed was 'phekros' which was phoenician for
'bread'. from this the egyptians concluded that phoenician was closest to the
root language of the gods.
i wish i could give you a reference to this experiment. perhaps some of the
folks in NLKR can do it. it has been quite a few years since i have found
child language to be profitable, so i cannot even recall the secondary
reference i read this in. i would love to track down the primary reference
from antiquity. this seems like a pretty sophisticated experimental design
for a culture as old as the pharonic dynasties.
stan
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rwojcik@bcsaic.UUCP (Rick Wojcik) (11/16/87)
In article <2273@k.cc.purdue.edu> m0p@k.cc.purdue.edu (S. Kulikowski) writes: > > ...[description of ancient Egyptian experiment to determine first language]... > i wish i could give you a reference to this experiment.... > ... i would love to track down the primary reference >from antiquity. this seems like a pretty sophisticated experimental design >for a culture as old as the pharonic dynasties. > stan The primary reference is Herodotus. A good secondary source is Fromkin and Rodman's An Introduction to Language. Actually, many introductory linguistics texts cite this as an amusing anecdote to historical misconceptions about language. If such an experiment ever took place, it is also a comment on the brutality of ancient cultures.
poser@russell.UUCP (11/20/87)
In the Egyptian experiment reported by Herodotus, the word reportedly uttered by the children raised without linguistic input was "bekos", which the Egyptians determined to be the Phrygian word for "bread". It is in fact true that this was the Phrygian word for "bread".
murrayw@utai.UUCP (11/20/87)
In article <725@russell.STANFORD.EDU> poser@russell.UUCP (Bill Poser) writes: >In the Egyptian experiment reported by Herodotus, the word reportedly >uttered by the children raised without linguistic input was "bekos", >which the Egyptians determined to be the Phrygian word for "bread". >It is in fact true that this was the Phrygian word for "bread". Well.... James IV attempted the same experiment and the children "spak very guid Ebrew". In the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II's experiment the children died. The three experiments are mentioned in "An Introduction to Language" by Victoria Fromkin and Robert Rodman. 1) These experiments show that if people don't learn a language they may emit random sounds. If you listen long enough you hear one of Shakespeare's plays. 2) They show how not to carry out a cognitive science experiment. Maybe Frederick's children died because they didn't know how to say "bread" in either Phrygian or Ebrew.