MadSci Network: Science History |
Dear Paul:
As far as I know, and as far as my search on the Internet and local
library went, I don't think Hitler did any experiment like that, gruesome
as it may seem. It also seems unlikely to me because Hitler had access to
the best doctors in Germany at the time, and if he was serious about such
an experiment he would not have let them die immediately, at least I
don't think he was that stupid. However, he did do eugenics experiments on
Jewish and Gypsy children, among other things trying to change eye color
and other experiments which are very awful to discuss. But he seems to
have been repeating Lamarck's mistake, that acquired traits (like modified
eye color) can be inherited.
However, there was an experiment in antiquity, done by the Egyptian king
Psamtik I in the 7th century BC. The story was told by Herodotus the Greek
historian. What he tried to do was to isolate two children from the rest
of civilization, which, as an absolute monarch, he could do easily. They
were to be raised by a shepherd who was not to speak to them or allow them
contact with other people. The assumption was that the language they would
speak would be the first language of humans.
After about two years, the shepherd heard them say 'bekos', which was the
word for 'bread' in the language of the Phrygians, who lived in Asia
Minor. Thus he concluded that the first language that humans ever spoke
was Phrygian.
There are several sites that give information on his experiment. Here's a short
note on it. Here
is another one, scroll down to 7 BCE, though I think they got the
date wrong. This
is a rather inhuman suggestion called 'my baby project'; which I
certainly do not approve of. The previous link allows readers to
comment on it, and the second last comment (as of this writing) gives some
historical examples. Intriguing, to say the least. You could also search
in your local library for more information on this.
Of course that is not a real scientific experiment. The children could
have heard the shepherd's sheep and imitated them, or simply made a random
sound. In anycase, our far distant ancestors weren't all speaking
Phrygian. The origin of language is shrouded in mystery, and linguists to
investigate it need to rely on archaeological, lingual, and other
evidence. I'm not a linguist, so I can't tell you here. But the good folks
at the Ask a Linguist
service can possibly tell you more. You could also search in their
archives. It's an ask-an-expert service which is very similar to MadSci,
so I'm pretty sure you know how it works (=.
If you're interested in the immense variety of language in the world in
general, why not check out the Ethnologue. Interesting
place.
I guess that's all I have to offer. Hope that I helped answer your
question. Keep on asking!
Thiam Hock "Speech-maker" Tan
Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Science History.