Origin of Speech

where is आ

3 min read

where is आ

Assumptions

  1. There exists an ancient but well-preserved exhaustive list of Sanskrit phonemes (Set A - शिव सूत्र [^6]). The low vowel आ ( ä a and ɑ[^7]) is not part of this Set A. आ is different from दीर्घ and प्लुत अ - अऽ and अऽऽ respectively.[^8]
  2. आ is a low vowel. that means longer phyrangeal cavity is required to produce it. [^1]
  3. There exists another set of universal phonemes (set B - पाणिनीय शिक्षा), for nearly the same language, that includes आ.

Facts

  1. Pronunciation of आ requires a specific anatomical configuration: (1) a descended larynx/tongue root caused by, (2) orthognathic facial structure resulting in change in position of larynx/tongue root . both resulting in more phyrangeal room for tongue movement, making low vowels possible. [^2]
  2. These changes occurred with Homo Sapiens. Earlier Homo species would not have been able to produce low vowels including आ.
  3. Sapiens were the only Homo species extant by 40 kya [^3]. and they were not unable to produce आ.

Deduction
Therefore, set A is chronologically earlier than set B, with the dividing line being the timing of the anatomical evolution that enabled the clear production of low vowels, specially आ.

conclusion

  1. Total inventory of all phonemes after 40k can not exclude आ.
  2. Set A must have been finalised at least before 40 kya. It is likely to have originated in Homo Erectus. Set A can be much, much older. 40-50kya is “not-younger-than” limit.
  3. Set B on the other hand, must be less than 315 kya[^4]. A good deal of the content of Set B could be older because it is about knowledge that is lost and needs to be reinstated [^5]. But Set B, in its entirety, is “not-older-than” 40 kya.

Caveat and answer

  1. Absence of आ may not have been an inability to pronounce आ.
    When we think of ऌ, this objection does not stand. ऌ is such a rare and archaic phoneme; its presence in Set-1 is an affirmation that whatever could be produced, and was used, was included in the universal inventory list of phonemes for extant language.
  2. There is some ambiguity in what vowels could be pronounced by which specie. Exact inventory is not precisely known as on date but the direction is cledar - startingt from inability to produce Quantals in deep evolution history (Apes?) to Modern Sapiens’ abilities. It is gradual shift and the mark we are interested in is when /ə/ or /ʌ/, /i/,/u/, /e/, /o/, /ai/, / au̯ / are distinguished as vowels but not /a/. Future research may identify the last specie unable to produce /a/ but we know that it is not Sapiens. This alone pushed time line for शिव सूत्र back to at least prior to 40kya and potentially prior to 315kya.

[^1] : https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/essentialsoflinguistics2/chapter/3-5-describing-vowels/
[^2] : The Evolution of Human Speech: Its Anatomical and Neural Bases. by Phillip Lieberman https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/509092?journalCode=ca
[^3] : The timing and spatiotemporal patterning of Neanderthal disappearance by Higham, T. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature13621
Age estimates for hominin fossils and the onset of the Upper Palaeolithic at Denisova Cave. by Douka, K. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0870-z
Revised stratigraphy and chronology for Homo floresiensis at Liang Bua in Indonesia by Sutikna, T
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27027286/
[^4] : New fossils from Jebel Irhoud, Morocco and the pan-African origin of Homo sapiens by ublin, J
https://kar.kent.ac.uk/62267/1/Submission_288356_1_art_file_2637492_j96j1b.pdf
he age of the hominin fossils from Jebel Irhoud, Morocco by Richard D.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28593967/
[^5] : पाणिनीयशिक्षा 2. https://ashtadhyayi.com/shiksha
[^6] : https://ashtadhyayi.com/shivasutra
[^7] : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPA_vowel_chart_with_audio
[^8] original दीर्घ अ is temporally different from आ. अष्टाध्यायी सूत्र पाठ 8.4.68 has spoken example of दीर्घ अ. https://ashtadhyayi.com/sutraani/8/4/68

[^8]

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