These experiments, called “language deprivation experiments”, were tested on infants without any ethical concerns, as they were thought to reveal many mysteries.
These experiments, conducted to understand the origin of language and the basis of human nature, were called the “Forbidden Experiment” by the cultural historian Roger Shattuck. So what happened as a result of these sensitive experiments, was the goal achieved?
The first of these experiments was carried out in 600 BC by order of the Egyptian pharaoh Psamtik I.
According to the historian Herodotus; Two newborn babies were taken from their parents and given to a shepherd. The shepherd is forbidden to talk to these babies. Then a word came out of one of the babies: becos.
The word “Becos” was not found in the language of the Egyptians. In their research, they determined that this word was spoken in the language of the Phrygians living in Anatolia long before that period. It means “bread”. Thereupon, the Egyptians believed that the origin of their ancestry and language came from the Phrygians.
But some historians and scientists think that the baby’s word is a “random” word like “agu”.
Approximately 1800 years after this experiment, Roman Emperor II. A similar experiment was conducted by Frederick.
Babies raised with almost no human interaction were never spoken to. Babies are thought to speak Hebrew, Greek, Latin or Arabic. Because these languages are the languages of the holy books or ancient texts. II. Frederik’s main goal was to find out what language Adam and Eve spoke. The historian Salimbene, who narrates these events, mentions that all this was a cruel experiment that failed.
Another example in history was the children of the Mughal emperor Akbar. The children, said to have been raised by mute wet nurses, could not speak any language. Akbar was one of the first sources to make the most plausible determination, saying that speaking is possible thanks to hearing.
The “wild children” raised by animals in nature or raised alone can give an idea about this issue.
These children were found to be unable to speak any human language when they were found. A girl in Ukraine can communicate like them because she grew up with dogs. In addition to dogs, examples of children raised by bears, sheep, cows, goats and even ostriches have been found. Each and every one of them acted like the animals they grew up with. Although they gain new knowledge when they mix with people, most of them never develop their language skills.
Babies born with hearing impairment cannot speak because they cannot hear any words. But what if they are deprived of sign language?
The Nicaraguan children featured in the video did not learn any sign language until one year old, but when they came together at the country’s first private school for the deaf, they had their own They invented a new sign language using hand gestures and facial expressions among themselves. Moreover, it is a very detailed and rich language.
There are 6300 different languages in the world today and it is not known exactly how they emerged.
For example, where, how and with whom we grew up shapes our communication style and our brain. While the first people living together were understood with vague sounds, those sounds caused an increase in words with the increase in population and options over many years. This has undoubtedly affected the development of our brain in a positive way.
Sources: 1, 2, 3
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