Language is a medium of communication. We use languages to communicate our thoughts, feelings, views etc. with others. One of the basic units of language is words. Have you ever wondered how a word gets its meaning? Why do we call a cat by using these three symbols/ letters: ‘c’, ‘a’ and ‘t'? Is there any connection between the word and its meaning? Of course not, because the language is arbitrary.  

There's no connection between the object and the word or symbol that it represents. A word's meaning is shaped by social usage or consent. It's because of repeated usage by the users, that words get particular meanings. That's why the same object is represented by using different symbols in different languages. For example, the fruit apple is represented in English using the word ‘apple’. But in the German language, it is represented as ‘Apfel'. But in French, it is termed as, ‘de pomme'.

There are some exceptional words, these words resemble the sound that is described. These kinds of words are called onomatopoeic words which include, Buzz, splash, boom etc.  The majority of languages are not invented by individuals but rather are the result of historical,  social,  and communicative processes that 
have evolved over many centuries.
    Some theories explain the formation of language. The major theories of the origin of language are: 
 

1. The bow- bow theory
This theory suggests that language developed from animal sounds. This theory suggests that language is evolved through the imitation of animal sounds. This theory does not account for the complexity and format of our modern languages. How such language can originate from natural sounds. 
 

2. The Pooh- Pooh Theory
This theory proposes that human exclamations and interactions brought on by shock, pain, or other intense emotions are where language first emerged. Instinctive emotional reactions gave rise to language. Simple emotions of surprise or sadness were perhaps the earliest words spoken.  
 

3. The Ding- Dong Theory
This theory suggests that the language originated from onomatopoeic words that were used to describe objects or events. The onomatopoeic words that sound like the noise they describe like " splash", or " crash" etc.
 

4. The Yo-He-Ho Theory 
According to this theory, language is developed from physical environmental needs. This originated from grunts, groans and snorts during physical activities.
 

5. The la-la Theory
This theory implies that language developed from sound related to song and music. It also includes playfulness, love, poetic sensibility, and song. One example could be whistling. 
 

6. The ta-ta Theory
This suggests that language originated from the use of tongue and mouth movement to imitate manual gestures. Eg: saying ta-ta