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In Search
of the Adamic Language
by
Ronald P. Millett
The
Scriptures tell us that mankind communicated anciently using one
common language and modern scientific research supports that belief.
While we await the restoration of the Adamic tongue, English, the
language that the Lord has used for the restoration of the gospel
and his new scriptures, is already becoming a universal world language.
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The
Adamic language is described in the scriptures as the common ancestral
language from which all of these modern language families descend.
Scientists using comparative linguistic methods also have concluded
that there is a common first language.
Both Biblical
and latter-day revelation indicate that at the beginning of the
world the children of Adam communicated using the original human
language, or Adamic tongue. These revelations also promise a Millennial
restoration of this "pure and undefiled" language. Modern scientific
research provides theoretical evidence for a common ancient language,
which is the subject of a PBS Nova documentary entitled
"In Search of the First Language."(1)
As English
has become not only the language of the modern prophets and the
Restoration but the dominant language of government, business and
culture in our modern era, some of the benefits and risks of having
a common language are already coming to pass.
The
First Language on Earth
Latter-day Saints have the great advantage of having many
revelations relating to the creation of the earth, the placing of
Adam and Eve on the earth, and the starting of this crucial second
estate for the sons and daughters of God. Instead of believing that
Adam and Eve were cave people muttering simple made up words to
each other, we understand that our first parents were given the
ability to speak, read and write by God. Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
taught that
"The first
man was instructed by the best teacher man ever had, for he was
taught of God, and spoke the language of the Most High, in which
angels conversed. This language he taught to his children."(2)
Elder Bruce
R. McConkie has written:
"This first
language spoken by mortals was either the celestial tongue of
the Gods or such adaptation of it as was necessary to meet the
limitations of mortality; and Adam and his posterity had power
to speak, read, and write it. In writing of the saints in the
day of the first man, Moses says: 'And a book of remembrance was
kept, in the language of Adam, for it was given unto as many as
called upon God to write by the spirit of inspiration; And by
them their children were taught to read and write, having a language
which was pure and undefiled.' (Moses 6:5-6.) The beauty and power
of this Adamic language is indicated by a statement made by Moroni
to the Lord about the Brother of Jared (who spoke the original
and pure language): 'Thou madest him that the things which he
wrote were mighty even as thou art unto the overpowering of man
to read them.'" (Ether 12:24.)(3)
This original
language continued on the earth until the tower of Babel. Brigham
Young taught that except for the Jaredites the Lord then "caused
the people to forget their own mother tongue, . . . scatter[ing]
them abroad upon the face of the whole earth," (4)
One of the blessings
to be restored during the Millennium appears to be the Adamic language.
Interpreting a prophesy of the Old Testament prophet Zephaniah,
Elder Bruce R. McConkie has said: "During the millennium, it appears
that men will again have power to speak and write the Adamic language.
Of that day the Lord says he will 'turn to the people a pure language,
that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with
one consent.' (Zeph. 3:9.) In some instances when the saints speak
in tongues, the language impressed upon them by the power of the
Spirit is the pure Adamic tongue."(5)
Linguistic
Studies that Support an Ancient "Mother Tongue"
The
science of language study is called linguistics.
In recent years linguists have studied how children learn to talk
starting with "babbling" consisting of "repeated sequences of consonant
and vowel combinations"(6) This
babbling leads to "speech sounds that are applied comparably in
all or most of the world's languages."(7) Certain
researchers believe that "enough of these shared linguistic properties
exist to allow for the reconstruction of precursor languages all
the way back to a prehistoric 'mother tongue'"(8)
Other
mainstream linguists believe that "the relentless pace with which
people tweak their native tongues render hopeless the search for
linguistic universals."(9)
One approach
to finding common language families uses what are called "kernel"
words in a language. These words are used to avoid comparing words
that might have been borrowed from another language (such as "beef"
from French to English). Kernel words include the personal pronouns,
especially the first and second person, numbers, parts of the body,
animals and words for important common nouns such as "water" and
"house." Table 1 shows how this technique might be used using a
few number words to show a language family relationship between
the eastern language Sanskrit and several European languages.
| English |
Latin |
Greek |
Sanskrit |
| two |
duo |
dúo |
dva |
| three |
tres |
treîs |
tráyas
|
| seven |
septem |
heptá |
saptá |
| ten |
decem |
déka |
dasa |
Table
1. Similarities of Indo-European kernel words.
Joseph Greenburg
of Stanford University pioneered the use of this technique to discover
a new language family in Africa called "Nilo-Saharan" in the central
eastern part of Africa. His work studying Native American languages
found what seemed to be three large language families in America
where over 200 had previously been theorized.(10)
In another amazing
example, certain kernel words such as "milk" have been found to
exist in roughly the same form in all of the language families of
the world. This data is believed by some linguists to be remnants
of an ultimate ancient common language that could include all of
the known language families.(11)
A portion of
this "language tree"(12) showing
the relationships between different groups of languages is illustrated
at the first of this article.(13)
Most modern
linguists believe in a common ancient "mother tongue." The differences
among them is whether or not they believe that it can be proved
scientifically from the language data that we currently have access
to. (14)
It is true that
linguists generally do not believe in the story of Babel or of a
common language that came from God. However, many of the things
they are finding support a divine origin of language far better
than a "by chance" language evolution. Instead of many disjointed
language groups that never join after starting independently across
the world, linguistic data points to a common ancient language.
Instead of "primitive" languages being less complex in syntax, vocabulary
or semantics, the ancient languages(15)
and modern aboriginal languages(16)
alike are fully formed and very complex.
A Modern
Universal Language
A current news article indicates that much like the ancient
times before Babel, the English language is becoming the default
universal world language.
Today English
is spoken by 20 percent of the world's population as a primary
or secondary language.... The widespread use of English has helped
the earth's peoples to better communicate and help one another.
Travelers, brain surgeons and rescue workers, for example, can
facilitate their knowledge, goals and needs in an easier fashion.
... In South Korea, the government has outlawed the private tutoring
of Korean nationals by Westerners (lessons which often cost $20-50
per hour), because Korean families were willing to spend almost
90 percent of their disposable income on ESL (English as a Second
Language) lessons.(17)
It is probably
no accident that the language used by the Lord for the Restoration
of the Gospel and ongoing communication to His modern prophets has
become the most common international language. The popularity of
English allows the crucial scriptural and gospel messages to be
available to many people throughout the world without having to
always depend on the slow and difficult process of translation into
each native language.
Our diligent
efforts of preaching the gospel to the world are very important
to keep the advantages that English is providing as a common universal
language. The recent news article also points out the disadvantages
of having a universal language used for evil purposes as it was
in the days of Babel.
How this
tremendous linguistic current of history is directed will perhaps
be the key to mankind's future. A future in which mankind -- if
left unchecked in his new global allegiance -- might one day soon
be able to defy God by recreating Babel, and indeed "be able to
do anything." (See Genesis 11:6) (18)
Restitution
of All Things
We believe in the restitution of all things, a restoration
of conditions that were upon the earth in the beginning and influence
that Adam, Enoch and others exercised so powerfully. We are told
that "so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power
of the language which God had given him" that " rivers of water
were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard
out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly." (Moses 7:13)
The fulness
of this restoration will be something beyond the mere standardization
of English as the default world language. It will only come when
the full power of the original Adamic language is restored as the
Lord has promised.
Acknowledgment
The author acknowledges the assistance and encouragement
of Dr. Eldon Lytle in the preparation of this article. His insights
into language are amazing and our discussions about aspects of the
Adamic language and the importance of preserving the good in our
current languages inspired this article.
Notes
1.
PBS NOVA #2120G: "In Search of the First Language",
1994.
This is an
excellent documentary that provides a great overview of comparative
linguistics and a summary of various issues that relate to the search
for a common "mother tongue."
Transcript
is at http://ancienthistory.about.com/homework/ancienthistory/cs/protoindoeuropean/
Then select
"In Search of the First Language"
2.
Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation,
Vol.1, p.95.
See also Joseph
Fielding Smith Jr., The Way to Perfection, p.66-67:
"How could
he give him commandments without speaking to him? What would be
more natural than to believe that the Father would speak to him
in his own language, and that the language used was perfect, for
it was the language of celestial beings? We are informed that Adam
and the Lord carried on conversations. How was this done unless
Adam had been taught to speak? Therefore, all who have faith in
the word of the Lord must know that Adam had a language; that his
language was pure and perfect for it came from the Lord."
3.
Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, Bookcraft, 1966,
p.19.
See also Joseph
Fielding Smith Jr., The Way to Perfection, p.69:
"Jaredites
Retained the Adamic Language: It is stated in the Book of Ether
that Jared and his brother made the request of the Lord that their
language be not changed at the time of the confusion of tongues
at the Tower of Babel. Their request was granted, and they carried
with them the speech of their fathers, the Adamic language, which
was powerful even in its written form, so that the things Mahonri
wrote "were mighty even ... unto the overpowering of man to read
them." That was the kind of language Adam had and this was the language
with which Enoch was able to accomplish his mighty work. This being
true, is there any wonder then that puny man, in his endeavor to
search out the beginnings of things is baffled when he discovers
what he is pleased to call primitive mankind, or, the most ancient
peoples of which history records, a language rich in metaphor and
in complex combinations?"
4.
John S. Robertson, "Adamic Language," Encyclopedia of Mormonism,
McMillan, 1992, Vol.1.
5.
Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p.19 ADAMIC LANGUAGE
See also: Teachings
of Ezra Taft Benson, p.93
"I have had
the glorious pleasure of addressing the Saints in many languages
-- in Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, and Danish. I have addressed
the Saints in Holland, France, Germany, Poland, Austria, in at least
eleven different languages, and on one or more occasions have spoken
through three interpreters at the same time. When you do that it
takes a long time to say much. But even in a meeting where there
are several languages represented there is always the true spirit
of the gospel. Someday we will all speak a common tongue,
and perhaps that will be the pure Adamic language. Then
it may be a little bit easier for us to convey our feelings." (Tokyo,
Japan, 27 October 1957.) [emphasis added]
See Also: Evening
and Morning Star (Mar 1834) Oliver Cowdery "Prophecy of Zephaniah,"
p.142
" It is said,
long after the great Deluge, that the earth was of one language,
and the Lord confounded that, and sent, or scattered the people
into all the earth. If we can believe the first, why not the last?
If we believe that all the earth once spake the same language, and
that was confounded by the power of God, why not believe that God
has power to cause the earth to speak one language again? ... If
then, God has power to cause all nations and languages to speak
the same language when in heaven, what is the reason that he has
not power to cause the same on earth? Has he not all power? ...
Was this fulfilled when the Jews returned from Babylon? This could
not be; because Babylon was not beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, neither
was a pure language turned to the people, that they might all call
upon the Lord to serve him with one consent."
6.
Bruce Bower, "Building Blocks of Talk: When babies babble, they
may say a lot about speech," Science News, May 27, 2000,
Vol 157, p. 344.
7.
Ibid.
8.
8. Ibid.
9.
Ibid.
10.
Ibid.
11.
Ibid. "MERRITT RUHLEN: Now, using traditional methods
of comparative linguistics, linguists have been able to show that
there are many language families around the world. If one simply
compares these language families among themselves, in other words,
look at the words which have been identified by scholars in those
individual families as characteristic of those families, one runs
across the exact same word in family after family after family.
Two of the most famous have become "tik," meaning "one" or "finger,"
and "pal," meaning "two." You find these two roots in family after
family after family, and I think that there is no way to explain
why you find these roots as well as many others, except to hypothesize
that they all derive from one common source."
"PETER THOMAS
[Narrator]: Another example Ruhlen offers is the word "maliqa."
Appearing in English as "milk," the word form shows up around the
word with meanings which are associated with milk, or suckle, or
breast, or throat. For Ruhlen and a few other linguists, this is
compelling evidence that deep in the mists of time, there was one
word for something like "to suckle, " which has survived in each
of the world's language families. But, to his critics, a few isolated
examples do not make a convincing case."
12.
Anthony C. LoBaido, "Return to Babel: English quickly becoming
global language," WorldNetDaily, July 18, 2001, www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=23667
"Today, English
is increasingly being used as a force for the linguistic and cultural
colonization of the world by the transnational powerbrokers." -
Loyal Gould, Baylor University
13.
Anthony C. LoBaido, "Return to Babel: English quickly becoming
global language," WorldNetDaily, July 18, 2001, www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=23667
"Linguists
today can trace all of the world's languages back to three major
branches of what is known as the 'language tree.'"
14.
Ibid. "DON RINGE, JR [University of Pennsylvania]:
It seems overwhelmingly likely to me that all human languages derive
from some common source. I think most linguists would agree with
that. I think we would all be shocked if anyone ever came up with
hard evidence that all human languages don't derive from some common
source. But, unfortunately, that's not the issue. The issue is whether
we can offer objective proof that all human languages derive from
a common source, or whether we have to be content to believe it.
15.
Ethan Sudman, "The Origin and Evolution of Languages," 2000,
www.scientificcreationism.org/article_05.html.
"Linguistic
studies on ancient writings reveal that, the further back you study
literature from, the more complicated it is."
See also Hugh
Nibley's excellent 1973 article on written language,
Hugh Nibley,
"The Genesis of the Written Word," New Era, Sept. 1973,
p. 38
"And
what does the actual state of the documents attest? If
writing evolved gradually and slowly as everything is supposed to
have done, there should be a vast accumulation of transitional scribblings
as countless crude and stumbling attempts at writing would leave
their marks on stone, bone, clay, and wood over countless millennia
of groping trial and error. Only there are no such accumulations
of primitive writing anywhere. Primitive writing is as illusive
as that primitive language the existence of
which has never been attested. And indeed, the very nature of writing
precludes anything in the way of a slow, gradual, step-by-step evolution:
one either catches on to how it is done or one does not, and once
one knows, the whole mystery lies revealed."
"There
is something wrong with this evolutionary process by which
one and the same people develop a system of writing almost overnight,
and then refuse to budge an inch on the way of progress forever
after."
See also this
example of "Old Iranian" language showing complexity of ancient
languages:
"The Faculty
of Oriental Studies: Information about Old Iranian," www.orinst.ox.ac.uk/infosheets/oldiranian-info.htm
"Most of the
course is devoted to studying primary sources in their original
languages. In addition to knowledge of Old Iranian grammar and vocabulary
students receive training in the analytical and critical methods
that may be used to understand ancient texts. As the texts themselves
represent a range of differing stylistic and literary genres (building
dedications, political propaganda, legalistic codes, traditional
litanies, oral poetry of considerable sophistication and complexity,
etc.), new challenges are encountered at every stage."
16.
See excellent material about Australian aboriginal languages
at www.dnathan.com/VL/austLang.htm.
A specific page on the Jiwarli language is at www.linguistics.unimelb.edu.au/research/jiwarli/index.html
17.
Anthony C. LoBaido, op. cit. "Today, English is increasingly
being used as a force for the linguistic and cultural colonization
of the world by the transnational powerbrokers." - Loyal Gould,
Baylor University
18.
Ibid.
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