Claim CG111:

If current languages evolved gradually from primitive grunts or noises, earliest languages should be the simplest. But ancient languages such as Latin and Vedic Sanskrit are more complex than modern languages in terms of cases, genders, voices, verb forms, etc.

Source:

Brown, Walt, 1995. In the Beginning: Compelling evidence for creation and the Flood. Phoenix, AZ: Center for Scientific Creation, p. 8.
Reffner, Ken, 2003. Feedback letter (June). http://www.talkorigins.org/origins/feedback/jun03.html#f37

Response:

  1. Languages are not becoming less complex overall. They may be simpler in some ways (such as verb endings) but are more complex in others (such as syntax and vocabulary) (Teegarden 2002).

  2. Evolution is not necessarily a uniform progression from simple to complex. Evolution towards simplicity is consistent with both biological and linguistic evolution.

Links:

Teegarden, Dave, 2002 (Jan.). Feedback letter. http://www.talkorigins.org/origins/feedback/jan02.html#language

References:

  1. Teegarden, D., 2002 (see above).

Further Reading:

Croft, William, 2001. Explaining Language Change: An Evolutionary Approach. Harlow, Essex: Longman.
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created 2003-7-4, modified 2004-1-8