The origins of language remain one of the most difficult questions in linguistics. There is no direct historical evidence to show exactly how human language began. Many hypotheses have been put forward, but none can be fully proved.
语言的起源一直是语言学最难的问题之一。没有直接史料能够确切说明人类语言如何诞生。人们提出过许多假说，但没有一种可以得到完全证实。
Several well‑known early hypotheses try to explain the birth of language.
The bow‑wow theory suggests that language came from imitations of natural sounds. Early humans copied noises of animals, winds and thunder, and these imitations gradually developed into words.
几种著名早期假说尝试解释语言的诞生。
摹声说（汪汪理论）认为语言起源于对自然声音的模仿。远古人类模仿动物、风声、雷声，这些模仿慢慢演变为词语。
The pooh‑pooh theory holds that language grew out of involuntary emotional cries. When people felt pain, joy or surprise, they uttered instinctive exclamations, and these emotional sounds became the earliest speech.
感叹说（噗噗理论）提出语言源自人的本能情感呼喊。当人感到痛苦、喜悦或惊讶时，会发出本能感叹，这些情感声音演变为最早的言语。
The yo‑he‑ho theory believes that language originated from group labor. When ancient people worked together, they produced rhythmic grunts to cooperate with one another. These labor‑related sounds slowly turned into language.
劳动呼喊说（哟‑嗬‑嗬理论）认为语言起源于集体劳动。远古人类集体劳作时，发出有节奏的呼喊来协同工作，这些劳动号子慢慢发展成为语言。
All these old hypotheses have weaknesses. They can only explain a very small part of language. Human language is creative and symbolic. Most words do not come from imitated natural sounds or emotional shouts.
以上这些古老假说都存在缺陷。它们仅能解释语言很小一部分现象。人类语言具有创造性与符号性，绝大多数词语并非来自模仿自然声响或者情感呼喊。
Modern scholars think that human language is the result of long‑term biological and social evolution. Physical changes such as brain enlargement and the adjustment of vocal organs provided biological foundation for language. Meanwhile, increasing social cooperation among human ancestors created strong social demands for communication. Language emerged gradually in the course of social activities. However, the detailed process is still unknown.
现代学者认为人类语言是生物进化与社会进化长期作用的产物。大脑容量增大、发音器官结构改变等生理变化为语言提供了生物基础。同时，人类祖先日益增多的社会协作产生强烈交际需求。语言在社会活动进程中逐步产生，但具体演变过程依旧未知。