Explain Like I'm Five | Don't Panic!

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The original was posted on /r/explainlikeimfive by /u/Thuctran1706 on 2023-08-11 22:02:15.

So in a world with just 2 languages, for example, English and Spanish, and assuming there is only one person speaking each language and the other person doesn't know how to speak your language, how did people at the beginning of civilization learn and teach a language since no one knows the other language?

I think you can learn the vocabulary by pointing to an object and saying the word but what about the grammar and special rules? I would assume this is because the ancient languages are simple, right?