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            "How did man first begin to talk?" a father asked his son once upon a time. Now, the son was a very precocious child, and the father, because he had talked with his son often, listened carefully to what the child said in reply:

            Somewhere along the evolutionary chain, something happened that separated man from other primates, those who like man went on to eventually touch the thumb to the first finger but never developed the ability to talk.  Whatever change this was that happened to man implanted itself in a chromosome and has been transmitted through time until today man is uniquely different from any other primate.

            From the moment he is born, and before, man has in his genes what Chomsky calls a "cognitive domain," a territory, a realm, a field, an influence, a region, a set, which is waiting to be sparked into action so that he can know and perceive.  It is there in all men, a potential to talk. Once sparked it enables him to speak sentences and think thoughts never spoken or thought before. By talking, man can order his world and control it.  He can think about yesterday, speculate about tomorrow, and even talk about talking. He can record his talking in books and on tapes, and he has a history.  It is the same in every man no matter what language he is born to speak. 

            But his potential must be sparked, and, though Chomsky is not concerned with this trivial point, there are several explanations of how it was sparked, which in their time were seriously considered.  That brings us to an answer to your question, Father:

            A little boy listened to his dog, and to a cow in the field, and he called them by name, "Bow-wow" and "Moo." By their sounds, he named a splash, a sizzle, a mumble, a bump.  And when his nose itched, he said, "Astchoo!" That's one explanation of how the genetic potential was sparked. The father nodded, and the little boy continued.

In those early days, each thing had its peculiar sound.  It was part of its being.  It vibrated all around it, so that when the little boy saw a dog, he said, "dog," because that's what it was - a dog. That makes sense, and that's how it was in the beginning, some say.

            In those early days, as he does today, a man purred his love, snarled his jealousy, howled his triumph. He added a little rhythm, a little music, and sounds and noises said things. In the beginning, there were feelings and man expressed them.

            Or a man, intent at his work, bit on his tongue, screwed up his jaw, and held his breath so as not to disturb his hand. When he was finished, he relaxed. He expelled some air to breathe again, and the word was born.  On purpose or by accident perhaps, he made these sounds when away from his work. That's how it all started, others say.

            In the dark days of impulse and instinct, there were spontaneous exclamations, surprises, angers, pains, disgusts, despairs, and joys. That maybe was the beginning.

            Early man worked strenuously and long. He was a hunter, and sometimes he had to drag a carcass a great distance.  Grunts and gasps made the job easier. "Yo-he-ho!" perhaps was the first word.

            Or an infant said, "Goo-goo." Vaguely, exploringly, babbling creatively.  He got rewards from his mother. He repeated the sounds that were rewarded. And that potential, implanted in the chromosome so long ago, was released.

            So that's how it all began," said the father.

            "That's how it all began," said the little boy.

         Bill Reynolds