* Language is a constantly evolving system: Languages change over time. New languages emerge, and old languages evolve and split into dialects.
* The origins of language are unknown: While we have evidence of early forms of communication, the exact origin and evolution of language are still a mystery. There's no definitive way to trace back to a single "first" language.
* Language is a complex phenomenon: It's a combination of sounds, symbols, grammar, and shared cultural understanding. It's difficult to pinpoint a single moment or origin point for something as complex as language.
Instead of a "first" language, we can talk about:
* Proto-languages: These are hypothetical reconstructed languages that are thought to be ancestors of existing language families. For example, Proto-Indo-European is a reconstructed language thought to be the ancestor of many languages spoken in Europe, Asia, and parts of the Americas.
* Early forms of communication: Evidence suggests that our ancestors used gestures, sounds, and symbols to communicate long before spoken language developed.
So, while we can't definitively say what the "first" language was, we can study the fascinating history of language development and evolution!