Is there a Universal language: At least to the extent of words for elementary feelings in life. This could be a very bad premise to start my thought process on this subject, but the overwhelming amount of evidence or coincidence cannot be denied or diluted. Linguists have researched and written perceptive dissertations about this. Yet these observations are from a layman’s point of view. According to the Bible, God created Adam, the first human being. The word for first or primary in Telugu is ‘Adi’. From this root we have several words in Telugu, Adithya, Aadyudu, which have the same meaning. In Sanskrit the Sun is called ‘Aditya’. Do I see any relation between the words Adam and Aditya which mean first or primary?
Then look at the word Mother; In Sanskrit it is Mata. In German it is Mutter. In Russian it is Matr. In Hindi it is Maa. In Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam it is Amma, Amme. Hence it is clear that the sound Ma is the common phonemic expression across several languages. Again for the word Father, we have Vater in German pronounced Fater, Papa in Hindi, Baba or Nanna in Telugu, Appa in Tamil. Hence the Phoneme Pa is related to the word Father. The word sister in English is Sestra in Russian and Schwester in German. Another example is the word ‘Night,’ which is ‘Noch’ in Russian, ‘Noche’ in Spanish and ‘Nisa’ in Sanskrit.
This makes me wonder as to the secret that works in the evolution of languages or is there an arcane, unknown logic that works in favor of all elementary feelings. For those who are sensitive to these aspects of languages, there is a mine of data to be identified and elucidated. Instead of getting these results from a machine, these inter relational aspects of languages when explored and discovered by individuals, impart a sense of joy and wonder.
Linguists give this characteristic the term ‘cognate’. The numbers in some languages are mostly cognates one – ein – eins. Two – dva – Three – Teen – thron etc. Cognates can exist between any two languages also. Between German and English, the words Friend, Garden etc. are certain cognates.
Terms for Family relations
Sister – Sestra – Schwester
Brother – Brat – Bruder
Interestingly Utro is morning in Russian and Udaya is morning in Sanskrit
and Udayam is morning in Telugu.
Man – Myushina – Manishi – Manava
All these similarities are interesting and reveal the functioning of language. But what interests me more is a metaphysical and philosophical question as to the universality of language. When languages have no common origin and have evolved across vast and spectacularly divergent regions, how and why is it that so many words and cognates appear across languages?
More than a quest for a logo centrist origin, does evolution of language have something to do with the physiological, biological, psychological connections across the human species?