A theory developed by William S. Burroughs (among others), that the word began as a biological virus that altered the throat structure of prehistoric protohumans. Those that survived passed the virus on to their descendents. An infected individual could form complex vocal sounds which, virus-like, would propagate through the tribe. New words spread until they are in common use. Thus the originally biological virus had mutated into the first information virus, the primogenitor of the computer virus. Burroughs believed this unique virus was of extraterrestrial origin. Terence McKenna thinks that language will soon evolve into visible language, sometime before December 21, 2012.

See also: language is a virus.