The Therapeutic Origin of the Human Word

One of the outstanding characteristics of the human species is that it is endowed with speech. Other living beings have different ways of communicating: dances, plumage, trills, sounds, aromas, but we do not know of another living being endowed with words, with language in the strict sense. In fact, Aristotle defines man as an animal endowed with logos, therefore with speech and reason. Since when do human beings speak? What was the first word spoken? What sense or utility would it have had? Neurolinguistics explains that in order to be able to emit words, a brain that dominates a vocal apparatus is needed, but above all the domain of the intercostal muscles and the diaphragm. To dominate these muscles, the vagus nerve (X pair) must have a sufficient number of fibers. This nerve exits at the base of the skull through the posterior foramen lacerum. Only 80,000 years ago that hole at the base of the skull was similar in size to ours, so it is reasonable to think that the first human word was spoken at that time. Since we have no evidence to know what that word was or who spoke it, we can freely imagine it. The human word is related to music, each language and each speaking region has its own music so we can infer where a speaker comes from by listening to him. That is why I think the first word was sung. I think the first human person to utter a word was a woman because the word requires a community, someone to listen. That first word must have been a magical sound, and whoever spoke it is a goddess to the others. The first images of gods of humanity are women. I also think it was maternal. The first woman who spoke was a mother, and the first who listened was a son. I also think it was conjured. That is to say, evocative of peace and tranquility before a fearful child. That is why I believe that the first word in the history of humanity was a woman, a mother, singing to her child in her arms to ward off fear. That allowed the child to sleep and rest, that is, she was therapeutic. We will develop that in this chapter.