What was the first word?

[Springtime_for_Spacers]

@Filbert

Some monkeys do have different calls for different predators, to differentiate between predators that can’t climb well (eg. tigers), predators that can’t run well (eg. snakes) and eagles.
Do they count as words?

So, do the calls refer to the predators or do they mean “Climb!” “Run!” and “Hide!”.

[Don_t_Panic]

@Springtime_for_Spacers

So, do the calls refer to the predators or do they mean “Climb!” “Run!” and “Hide!”.

Dunno about monkeys, but the communication of prairie dogs have been in the news a lot recently, and their calls certainly seem to refer to different predators. In fact, they can apparently even differentiate between humans in different colored shirts.

[picunurse]

@CalMeacham

Language ain’t my specialty, but I know that there has been suggestion that the first “words” weren’t “words” as we would call them at all, bu “modifiers” to various calls, suggesting things like “near” and “far”.
On a more conventional front, because “mama” is one of the earliest sounds a baby makes (and, somewhat to a lesser degree, “papa” or “dada”), and because these words are surprisingly similar across languages, these might be the first words.

Mama and papa - Wikipedia

Babies vocalize all the sounds they will ever use in language before they ever say an actual word. The earliest sound, that is not a cry, isn’t an mmm sound, usually bbb or ggg because they are easier to form by wild little mouths.

[OpalCat]

I’m gonna guess either “ma” or similar or else “NO!!!”

[Northern_Piper]

What was the first word?

Logos, of course, as stated in John 1:1:

@John

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

[Zebra]

@Clothahump

AAAaarrgghhh!

No no no, it’s more in the back of the throat. “aaarrrrrrrrrrgggghh”

[Tom_Tildrum]

Fap

[TreacherousCretin]

@Balance

We could get into fuzzy questions about what constitutes a word, as opposed to a non-word vocalization, but I’m just going to go ahead and guess that it was a word for “snake”.

I’ll second this one.

.

[Ca3799]

An only slightly related but interesting article I read yesterday suggesting that some basic parts of language are universal: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21128211.600-kiki-or-bouba-in-search-of-languages-missing-link.html

[MostlyClueless]

I think the first word could be translated as ‘there!’ or ‘warning!’ (or basically, ‘for fuck’s sake, pay attention!’)

[lieu]

P.U.

[Zeldar]

@MostlyClueless

I think the first word could be translated as ‘there!’ or ‘warning!’ (or basically, ‘for fuck’s sake, pay attention!’)

Like I suggested before: “Umgawa!”

Of course, if you go by the Tarzan movies, it can also mean:

Cheetah, bring me a banana
Jane, wanna fuck?
Where did I leave my big-ass knife
Y’all lions get out of my way, goddammit
Who’s for dinner?

[PlainJain]

I’d be curious to know when folks started giving each other and pets names. I understand naming things as descriptors (man, dog, etc) but it’s one thing to say, “That’s a dog” and quite another to say,“That dog’s name is Bob”.

[TruCelt]

It’s a chicken and egg thing. Before you get “Mama” you’d have to have a lot of Oooooowwwwwwwwch! and before you get to the Ooooooowwwwwwwwwch! You have to get through the “How YOU doing?!?”

So if we speculate that one bald and smarter-than-usual chimp said to another baldish and smartish chimp “How YOU doing?!?” then the baldish and smartish chimp spent a lot of time saying “Ooooooowwwwwwwch!” then the first human word would probably have been “Mama.” By which the first human probably meant - “I want some more milk now, please.”