Origins of communication system

Communication between two people is an outgrowth of methods developed over centuries of expression. Gestures, the development of language, and the necessity to engage in joint action all played a part.

Communication among animals: Humans are not the only creatures that communicate; many other animals exchange signals and signs that help them find food, migrate, or reproduce. The 19th-century biologist Charles Darwin showed that the ability of a species to exchange information or signals about its environment is an important factor in its biological survival. For example, honey bees dance in specific patterns that tell other members of the hive where to find food. Insects regularly use pheromones, a special kind of hormone, to attract mates. Elephants emit very low-pitched sounds, below the level of human hearing, that call other members of the herd over many miles. Chimpanzees use facial expressions and body language to express dominance or affection with each other. Whales and dolphins make vocal clicks, squeals, or sing songs to exchange information about feeding and migration, and to locate each other.

Language: While other animals use a limited range of sounds or signals to communicate, humans have developed complex systems of language that are used to ensure survival, to express ideas and emotions, to tell stories and remember the past, and to negotiate with one another. Oral (spoken) language is a feature of every human society or culture. Anthropologists studying ancient cultures have several theories about how human language began and developed. The earliest language systems probably combined vocal sounds with hand or body signals to express messages. Some words may be imitative of natural sounds. Others may have come from expressions of emotion, such as laughter or crying. Language, some theorists believe, is an outgrowth of group activities, such as working together or dancing.

Symbols and Alphabet: Most languages also have a written form. The oldest records of written language are about 5000 years old. However, written communication began much earlier in the form of drawings or marks made to indicate meaningful information about the natural world. The earliest artificially created visual images that have been discovered to date are paintings of bears, mammoths, woolly rhinos, and other Ice Age animals on cave walls near Avignon, France. These paintings are over 30,000 years old.