Abow-wow theory (orcuckoo theory) is any of the theories by various scholars, includingJean-Jacques Rousseau andJohann Gottfried Herder, on the speculative origins of human language.[1][2]
According to bow-wow theories, the first human languages developed fromonomatopoeia, that is, imitations of natural sounds.[3] The term "bow-wow theory" was introduced in English-language literature by the German philologistMax Müller, who was critical of this idea.[4] Despite its simplicity, this theory highlights the human tendency to mimic natural sounds.[5]
Bow-wow theories have been widely discredited as an explanation for the origin of language. However, some contemporary theories suggest that general imitative abilities may have played an important role in the evolution of language.[6]
In the humorous typology of what he considered to be fanciful theories on the origin of languages, Max Müller contrastedbow-wow theory withpooh-pooh theory, which holds that the original language consisted of interjections; and withding-dong theory, which posits that humans were originally a kind of improved bell capable of making all sounds.[7] However, Müller was at one time attracted to theho-hiss theory, which held that grunts were also the origin of singing.[8]
The dictionary definition ofbow-wow theory at Wiktionary