When was talking invented? – Albert R., age 12, Florida
The truth is, no one knows for sure when talking was “invented.” It’s a big mystery. But as a language scientist for 15 years, I can tell you our best guess about when people started talking to each other using language, and how we think it got started.
Human language and how long it’s been around
Talking is an activity unique to Homo sapiens, our species. In every culture where most people can hear, people talk with spoken language. And in groups where lots of people are deaf — as in certainvillages where a lot of people are born deaf for genetic reasons — or in Deaf communities throughout the world, people talk with their hands, using sign languages. There are lots of different sign languages, just as there are lots of different spoken languages.
Birds sing songs. Dogs bark, and cats meow. But these forms of communication are simple compared with human language. An animal might make 10 different sounds, for example, but an adult human knows more than 20,000 words. Additionally, we’re the only animal that expresses thoughts in full sentences. Because language is unique to humans and so different from anything else in the animal kingdom, researchers don’t really think language was invented; instead we think it evolved during human beings’ evolution from other apes.
So to find out when talking started, you have to look back to when humans first evolved. Scientists believe humans as we know them today likely evolved around 300,000 years ago. Some of our evolutionary ancestors like Homo erectus and cousins like the Neanderthals may have had language too, but researchers don’t know for sure.
What’s amazing is that for almost all of that time, all people did with language was talk; there wasn’t any reading or writing until roughly 5,000 years ago, which is recent compared with how long modern humans have been around. For almost all of the time that humans existed on planet Earth, no one read a book or a sign, or wrote down their name.
People started writing things down so they could keep track of accounts. For example, if Farmer Joe owed Farmer Jill three sheep, then they would draw a picture of a sheep and write down three marks. Eventually these little pictures turned into hieroglyphics and then into the letters that we use today to write down all kinds of things like grocery lists and poems and stories.
Where talking comes from
Another question you might wonder about is where talking comes from. Before people used language, how did they communicate with each other? Did they just make sounds at each other as animals do? The truth is, we don’t know the answer here either. But there are two main theories.
The first theory is that language started with people making different sounds, mostly imitating the things around them, like animal calls, nature sounds and the sounds of tools. Eventually they started using these sounds to talk to each other. They might make the sound of whooshing wind to talk about the weather or imitate the sound of a bird to tell a friend that there was a bird nearby. Then over hundreds of thousands of years, those sounds turned into words that people began to learn as part of their language. At some point, people started stringing the words together to form sentences.
The other main theory, which is a more recent idea, is that people started off by gesturing — pointing at things with their hands, imitating actions using their bodies and making faces. Eventually these gestures turned into a full sign language. This process continues today in villages where lots of people are deaf. If a lot of deaf people who don’t know a sign language come together, they will spontaneously invent one within a few years.
This theory guesses that after developing sign languages, people eventually started making sounds along with their gestures. At some point, they switched to mostly making sounds that became words instead of just using their bodies. The reason they switched to making sounds, the theory goes, is that talking out loud lets you communicate with someone even when you can’t see them.
Big questions like this let all of us explore what it means to be human beings. Only humans have language, and so figuring out where language comes from is a way to figure out where we come from too.
Richard Futrell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
5 ways pandemic-related teacher shortages are affecting K-12 schools across the US
Jon Cherry // Getty Images
Educators have long felt the pressure of heavy workloads, low wages, and lack of resources to perform their jobs effectively. This burden increased over the last few years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. HeyTutor outlined five ways these pandemic-related teacher shortages are affecting K-12 schools across the U.S.
Burnout is affecting teachers like never before. In January 2022, a poll of National Education Association members showed more than half of educators surveyed were likely to retire or leave the job early because of the pandemic. That’s nearly twice the number that reported feeling the same way in July 2020.
According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, 44% of public schools reported teacher vacancies and 49% reported other staffing vacancies as of January 2022. In non-teaching roles, custodial positions had the most vacancies, followed by transportation and nutrition. Over half of open positions were due to resignations. Three out of five schools cited the pandemic as a contributing factor to this increase.
Read on to learn how increased educator vacancies have impacted both teachers and students.
Jon Cherry // Getty Images
Educators have long felt the pressure of heavy workloads, low wages, and lack of resources to perform their jobs effectively. This burden increased over the last few years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. HeyTutor outlined five ways these pandemic-related teacher shortages are affecting K-12 schools across the U.S.
Burnout is affecting teachers like never before. In January 2022, a poll of National Education Association members showed more than half of educators surveyed were likely to retire or leave the job early because of the pandemic. That’s nearly twice the number that reported feeling the same way in July 2020.
According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, 44% of public schools reported teacher vacancies and 49% reported other staffing vacancies as of January 2022. In non-teaching roles, custodial positions had the most vacancies, followed by transportation and nutrition. Over half of open positions were due to resignations. Three out of five schools cited the pandemic as a contributing factor to this increase.
Read on to learn how increased educator vacancies have impacted both teachers and students.
5 ways pandemic-related teacher shortages are affecting K-12 schools across the US
Jon Cherry // Getty Images
Teacher shortages have caused class sizes to grow during the pandemic—but larger class sizes also contribute to educator burnout, which then leads to even more teachers leaving their positions.
More students in a class can mean more work for teachers to grade, less time to provide individual attention, and higher stress levels. In a January 2022 survey, 3 in 5 members of the Maryland State Education Association reported they would be more likely to continue teaching if class sizes were smaller.
Larger class sizes also negatively impact students. The American Federation of Teachers advocates for the benefits of smaller class sizes—more individualized instruction, higher academic performance, and fewer behavioral problems.
Jon Cherry // Getty Images
Teacher shortages have caused class sizes to grow during the pandemic—but larger class sizes also contribute to educator burnout, which then leads to even more teachers leaving their positions.
More students in a class can mean more work for teachers to grade, less time to provide individual attention, and higher stress levels. In a January 2022 survey, 3 in 5 members of the Maryland State Education Association reported they would be more likely to continue teaching if class sizes were smaller.
Larger class sizes also negatively impact students. The American Federation of Teachers advocates for the benefits of smaller class sizes—more individualized instruction, higher academic performance, and fewer behavioral problems.
5 ways pandemic-related teacher shortages are affecting K-12 schools across the US
PAUL RATJE/AFP // Getty Images
When teacher shortages occur, extra work is placed on each educator to help compensate for missing staff. Add in the unique circumstances of the pandemic and it is easy to see how educators have become overwhelmed with additional responsibilities over the past few years.
A May 2021 survey of 493 K-12 public school staff reported 2 in 5 teachers were working more hours than before the pandemic. Teaching online requires extra responsibilities related to technology, as well as additional effort to maintain consistent communication with students and their families. Upon returning to teach face-to-face, social distancing requirements and sanitizing classrooms have contributed to increased teacher workloads.
PAUL RATJE/AFP // Getty Images
When teacher shortages occur, extra work is placed on each educator to help compensate for missing staff. Add in the unique circumstances of the pandemic and it is easy to see how educators have become overwhelmed with additional responsibilities over the past few years.
A May 2021 survey of 493 K-12 public school staff reported 2 in 5 teachers were working more hours than before the pandemic. Teaching online requires extra responsibilities related to technology, as well as additional effort to maintain consistent communication with students and their families. Upon returning to teach face-to-face, social distancing requirements and sanitizing classrooms have contributed to increased teacher workloads.
5 ways pandemic-related teacher shortages are affecting K-12 schools across the US
Canva
Extracurricular activities are crucial for the growth and development of school-age children—physically, emotionally, and socially. During the pandemic, access to these activities has decreased sharply across the country.
One example is the National FFA Organization (formerly known as the Future Farmers of America), a student organization that prepares youth for careers in agriculture. In May 2022, a high number of openings in agricultural teacher positions were reported across states from Illinois to Texas.
Sports teams, arts programs, and after-school clubs have been forced to meet virtually, if at all. Dartmouth Health notes this lack of social interaction has particularly affected adolescents, with increasing rates of depression and anxiety.
Canva
Extracurricular activities are crucial for the growth and development of school-age children—physically, emotionally, and socially. During the pandemic, access to these activities has decreased sharply across the country.
One example is the National FFA Organization (formerly known as the Future Farmers of America), a student organization that prepares youth for careers in agriculture. In May 2022, a high number of openings in agricultural teacher positions were reported across states from Illinois to Texas.
Sports teams, arts programs, and after-school clubs have been forced to meet virtually, if at all. Dartmouth Health notes this lack of social interaction has particularly affected adolescents, with increasing rates of depression and anxiety.
5 ways pandemic-related teacher shortages are affecting K-12 schools across the US
PAUL RATJE/AFP // Getty Images
Perhaps the most concerning repercussion of teacher shortages is a decline in students’ academic achievement. In a January 2022 study published by the Annenberg Institute at Brown University, test scores of 5.4 million third to eighth graders showed changes during the pandemic. Both reading and math scores dropped significantly. For elementary-age students, gaps in achievement between high and low-poverty schools were 15-20% wider in reading and math than those pre-pandemic.
An April 2022 article published by McKinsey & Company estimates students in North America are 4 months behind in their learning. Working to address teacher shortages and get students back on track is going to be a time-consuming and costly process.
PAUL RATJE/AFP // Getty Images
Perhaps the most concerning repercussion of teacher shortages is a decline in students’ academic achievement. In a January 2022 study published by the Annenberg Institute at Brown University, test scores of 5.4 million third to eighth graders showed changes during the pandemic. Both reading and math scores dropped significantly. For elementary-age students, gaps in achievement between high and low-poverty schools were 15-20% wider in reading and math than those pre-pandemic.
An April 2022 article published by McKinsey & Company estimates students in North America are 4 months behind in their learning. Working to address teacher shortages and get students back on track is going to be a time-consuming and costly process.
5 ways pandemic-related teacher shortages are affecting K-12 schools across the US
RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post // Getty Images
During the pandemic, teacher shortages have impacted specialized school programs just as much as standard classes. The U.S. Secretary of Education has issued a call to action to address vacancies in areas like bilingual Spanish-English education; science, math, and technology programs; and career and technical tracks.
The National Center for Education Statistics reported special education had the most teacher vacancies as of January 2022, with nearly half (45%) of schools reporting open positions. Some school districts have been forced to cut students from special education programs—like the Extended School Year program in Buffalo—due to a lack of staffing. Teacher shortages in these specialized programs affect some of the most high-need and vulnerable students at a time that is already difficult for youth and families.
This story originally appeared on HeyTutor and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post // Getty Images
During the pandemic, teacher shortages have impacted specialized school programs just as much as standard classes. The U.S. Secretary of Education has issued a call to action to address vacancies in areas like bilingual Spanish-English education; science, math, and technology programs; and career and technical tracks.
The National Center for Education Statistics reported special education had the most teacher vacancies as of January 2022, with nearly half (45%) of schools reporting open positions. Some school districts have been forced to cut students from special education programs—like the Extended School Year program in Buffalo—due to a lack of staffing. Teacher shortages in these specialized programs affect some of the most high-need and vulnerable students at a time that is already difficult for youth and families.
This story originally appeared on HeyTutor and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Humans are the only animals that express their thoughts in full sentences. Oliver Rossi/DigitalVision via Getty Images 
Scientists believe that ancestors to modern humans may have used speech too. altmodern/E+ via Getty Images
Jon Cherry // Getty Images