If, as evolutionists claim, all of mankind evolved from the SAME primitive life-source, then how did we end up with 7,000 different languages? It is far more reasonable to accept the Biblical claim that God created all of mankind's different languages (Genesis 11:7,9); than it is to believe that some space-dust from a massive chaotic explosion somehow became life, and then took on intelligence, and then from the same evolutionary process ended up with 7,000 different languages.
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"then how did we end up with 7,000 different languages?"
Because languages aren't genetic, and are merely methods of communication that developed regionally. Memetic evolution, distinct from biological evolution. So...much...lose.
You know, cultural/linguistic evolution is even easier to prove than biological evolution. Just Google the word "blog" and you'll see how quickly language can change. Heck, just Google the word "Google!" You don't need God to change a language and you don't need him to make one in the first place.
Language changes.
Even presuming pre-Homo sapiens humans had language (probably they did, as there is evidence that Neanderthals had some kind of vocal chords similiar to ours), language would change over at the very least 50 000 years, let alone the millions of years it has taken humans to evolve from near-apes to humans . . .
But this is someone who believes that the Earth was only around for six thousand years. Logic will not work with him.
Languages are subject to evolution, too. And the evolution of languages is documented. Where did English come from? If God created it at the Towel of Babel, try finding understandable English from 900 AD.
It is far more reasonable to accept the Biblical claim that God created all of mankind's different languages (Genesis 11:7,9); than it is to believe that some space-dust from a massive chaotic explosion somehow became life,
Doesn't Genesis says something about man being created from dirt?
You can more or less exactly tell how the different languages developed from other languages. This development is especially good documented with the european kanguages. But also the relationship between the chinese and japanese language can very clearly be seen (especially if you look at their written language, where the japanese language has several thousand Kanji, signs used by the chinese as well).
God separating these languages after the construction of a huge tower at Babel is a far worse explanation compared to this ;)
How come American English is almost another language. There is much of it that I fail to understand immediately until I get the context right.
In fact, but for records, Hollywood and TV American English would have drifted so far from English English that it would be incomprehensible - another language in fact. And that's in about 200 years.
"If, as evolutionists claim, all of mankind evolved from the SAME primitive life-source, then how did we end up with 7,000 different languages?"
Nice nonsequiter.
"It is far more reasonable to accept the Biblical claim that God created all of mankind's different languages (Genesis 11:7,9); than it is to believe that some space-dust from a massive chaotic explosion somehow became life, and then took on intelligence, and then from the same evolutionary process ended up with 7,000 different languages."
Compared to that damned near anything is more believable.
Beeecauuuuse language is a local and cultural phenomena and can't spread further then a population can communicate?
Language evolves in a similar way to species, actually; take a look at language today, compare it to language a few decades ago then compare it to olde english.
Medieval Catholic theologians read the same passage from Genesis and deduced the number of languages in the world, which is off from your figure by two orders of magnitude. Why do you deny the Bible, you Bible-denier?
He probably doesn't realize that English is one of the newest languges on Earth and many languages are dead. English could be accurately called Eurospeak, pulled together in the last 1000 years from other languges and changing a lot from then to now
Languages are more similar as they're geographically closer. Wonder why that is?
[then how did we end up with 7,000 different languages?]
Because we are all from diffrent regions. Diffrent regions will have diffrent languges. If we all came from the same two people then why don't we all have the same two eye and hair colors?
Those 7,000 different languages all came from 10 different roots that we know of - it's possible they stretch back to even fewer ultimate roots.
But languages diverge, sometimes out of necessity, sometimes out of different ways of taking shortcuts through the language, sometimes from local-cultural influence, and sometimes from simply getting the prevailing language wrong, which is a subject fundies should know a lot about.
Oh, please. Anyone can make up a language. My brother and I have our own sign language--only us and our wives can understand it. (I think a couple of my aunts get *that* we're saying something when we use it, but not exactly *what* we're saying.)
Now, where does your incoherent babbling come from?
7,000 languages in the world, and god made them all, yet he only speaks Elizebethan English ala the KJV. Hmm, maybe that's why the goat gropers got the instructions so wrong; he was speaking directly to them, but they never understood a word he said.
"Ali, did you hear that? Did he just say 'Learn to plow'?"
"Mm, not sure. I thought he said; 'Burn a cow'"
Well, see... I live in Brazil, and we speak Portuguese. Now, there is also this country, y'know, Portugal, where Portuguese obviously appeared. Throw 500 years and our version of the language is so different from theirs, that sometimes we can't understand each other at all.
Language changes. No divine intervention needed.
"Life-source" is a great term.
It's now also obvious that the man isn't a linguist either. I guess that's something.
exiteditor said:
The similarities are nice, and the evolution of romance languages from latin (pared down to an elementary level) makes a pretty good analogy. It kind of breaks down when you consider all of the various levels of language intermixing. A pidgin would be the rough equivalent of me mad chimerization that would produce a "croco-duck". Also the extreme speed at which languages generate new slang as well as the level of complexity the operations of language expansion perform on would largely draw scorn from the, "It's too complicated to happen by chance" crowd.
It's difficult to find analogies for evolution that aren't quickly "devolved" into strawmen by a rabid "disbeliever". Even if you magically find one that's willing to hear you out.
Nobody was speaking French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian or Romanian in the time of Christ. Did these languages evolve from Latin or were they created spontaneously by the Christian god?
"It is far more reasonable to accept the Biblical claim that God created all of mankind's different languages (Genesis 11:7,9); than it is to believe that some space-dust from a massive chaotic explosion somehow became life, and then took on intelligence, and then from the same evolutionary process ended up with 7,000 different languages."
And at the same time it is so damn easy to believe and explain that after the flood one man begat ALL the people in the world, that just somehow turned into several distinct races in less than 4000 years? Huh? And that those cultures (at the same time some were getting really good suntans) walked to The Amazon from Ararat and built huge cultures there? Huh?
Linguistic and biological evolution are not the same thing, but they are both more likely than the idea that God Almighty confused man's language to prevent the building of a mud-brick tower to heaven, then thousands of years later did nothing about the moon landings!
We migrated and stop communicating with each other.
And now that society is connected through the Internet and global air travel, languages are co-alescing back together. Almost everybody speaks some Spanish, English, or Mandarin Chinese. I think it's inevitable that eventually everybody will speak similar languages.
First, if God created the different languages, why on earth did he have to make us build Babel´s tower first and make us speak the same language?. Inconsistency number one. Second, language is a social construct they have to COMMUNICATE. It has nothing to do with evolution.
Hey, you want to see, why? Look at the language pattern of someone raised on the Internet versus someone raised away from it. Bonus points if they are next door neighbors.
Protip: Language is volatile.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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