In the Beginning Was the Need to Eat and Drink
Excerpt from “Why Knot?” Buy the book at Amazon
After his stroke, my Dad couldn’t speak. At first, the brain damage didn’t affect his ability to swallow. But after four years of not speaking, the muscles of his throat weakened and atrophied, and there was nerve deterioration as well. He could no longer swallow.
That observation led me to wonder if speech might be a secondary rather than a primary evolutionary development.
Making noises with the throat may exercise muscles needed for swallowing. It’s possible that the ability and desire to make sounds through the throat evolved because strong throat muscles are necessary for eating and drinking. And the ability to generate a wide range of sounds also made it possible to use sound for communication, further improving survivability.
In the beginning was the need to eat and drink. The Word came later.
