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Who First Communicated Communication?
The answer could surprise you?
Ever since I was a child and first learnt to read, I have always been fascinated by the etymology of words.
Of course, at that young an age I wasn’t familiar with the word etymology; it was studying my English language A-level where I first encountered the term. At the same time, I learnt of the vast compendium of sources and influences, from French, Dutch, Swedish, Latin, which have made the English language what it is today.
The other day I was humming and hawing over a good angle for approaching a new article. Speaking to an old college friend led me to reminisce those days… One thing led to another and I found myself asking the question: who first communicated communication?
The word “communication” first appeared in the English language around the Middle English period. Ironically, its introduction came at a point when the vernacular was beginning to sophisticate in terms of words and sentence formation, compared to its baser predecessor, Old English (think Beowulf).
Naturally the Middle English period wasn’t the first time someone communicated; however, it does indicate that this was the point in English history that people began to acknowledge and explore its art and its skill. Of course, at that point there was still a long way to go, but it’s an advance that hasn’t stopped, even up to the present day.
Before its occurrence in England, it’s believed the word hailed from Old French and Latin — derived from the Latin “communis” meaning general or public.
Whilst this, quite literally, wins the award for the most ‘general’ definition ever, what’s interesting, and where we start to recognise the definition we know today, is the affixation of the present infinitive -ico. Forming, “communico.”
And, just like that, a myriad of definitions are revealed: to impart, share, partake, unite, link, connect (in equal part).
I’m no master of Latin, but I like to think that the present infinitive still embedded in “communication” as it is used today, pays homage to the ongoing, ever-present journeys we are all on when it comes to enhancing communication in our lives — whether at work, with new people, our families, or ourselves.
As our world advances, so too does the need for our communication skills. It’s an infinite realm of learning, and one that we can’t master alone.
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