Do think all people in the world spoke one language at one time?

[Denis Hard]

I've tried to in the past through meticulous research to find some root word in one language which, though the spelling may have been altered a little is part of a word [or is an actual word] that has the same meaning in the different languages [i'm not talking about related languages like Germanic languages]. I never did find any such words but realized that  word usage was similar. For example, the word snake, a euphemistic word for the male reproductive organ is used virtually all over the world to refer to the same thing. Can this be proof that people at one time spoke one language?

[Baburra]

My guess is no, but like you said, they were all probably constructed in a similar way or manner. The results probably even ended up being pretty similar in structure too. But I don't think people who live apart would naturally use the same language. As long as we started out scattered, we probably had different languages back then too.

[Humbleman]

I've tried to in the past through meticulous research to find some root word in one language which, though the spelling may have been altered a little is part of a word [or is an actual word] that has the same meaning in the different languages [i'm not talking about related languages like Germanic languages]. I never did find any such words but realized that  word usage was similar. For example, the word snake, a euphemistic word for the male reproductive organ is used virtually all over the world to refer to the same thing. Can this be proof that people at one time spoke one language?

In my opinion, I believe that we all spoke the same language millenniums ago. At least that's what I was taught in Sunday school. From the bible, we learn of the story of the Tower of Babel and how God diversified that one language so as to cause the people to be confused (babble) and stop trying to reach the heavens with their Tower.

I find also that in studying and comparing the English Language with Espanol, there are hundreds of similar sounding words which indicate that they have the same root.

[lovemwaf]

I think that it is possible that all languages came from one place and that as people travelled and the world got bigger, the languages developed and became what they are they are today. But i do think that there will always be common underlying themes in every language.

[Trellum]

Ehh I think this thread is interesting, but I'm not sure what you said actually proof we ever spoke the same language, but technically maybe we did.  I mean, back when we were cavemen we communicated mostly tru noises, and that's how we started to develop a language. I mean, cavemen had to work in team to hunt and get rid of potential threats, so in order to do that they needed to find a way to communicate with each other   So, I guess we once spoke the same language.  I wonder how we came to have so many different languages??

[thekernel]

From what I've heard, some animals have dialects to their communication. Like how a crow in UK sounds different from a crow in Canada, and they are able to tell. In that vein, I believe the closest man has come to using a universal language would be the grunts and calls from our great ancestors, but even then they'd sound different around the world.

[sidney]

I would have to agree regarding the Tower Of Babel incident in the bible. At one point, man spoke the same language, but since God got angry, he made people speak different languages.

[SpiralArchitect]

Well no. They did not. Studies on languages from ancient civilization show a lot differences in the languages used. Ancient Egyptians wrote in a language vastly different from what was used in the Indus Valley civilization. Sure there are structural similarities in a few but then again there are quite a few which have no similarities whatsoever. A lot of older languages spread through people travelling and they evolved differently in different regions.

Also, Tower of Babel is a myth.

[Rosa]

I do believe that in the past there was just one language that was spoken. Based on the holy bible, the story of the Tower of Babel tells us that the people spoke one tongue until their language was confounded by God. I also notice that some words in different languages are quite similar. For example, the words comprende and mi in Spanish are close to the translations, comprehend and my in English.

[fredkawig]

Yes. According to the BIBLE (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth), the tower of Babel was the sole reason for the separation and the distinction of languages. Before we had one language but since people were getting all high and mighty and want to be god of themselves, God separated and disrupted the single language into many languages in order for them not to understand each other. Today we are on the verge of another tower of Babel scenario and I think this time its going to be judgment.