Even if we try to decipher the origin of our language by looking towards the languages of the past our horizon will still be limited because it is only through our own language, culture, and experience that we can view the past. The past can never be known as it was in itself. This inevitable alienation from the past makes the problem of disclosing an origin of language very difficult. Finite, temporal, language as a system of signifiers and signified, is founded on culture. Every culture, through its religion, art, and government, has its own unique system of beliefs and values.
Culture is reformed with each new generation.
Every generation must redefine their beliefs and values, and thus redefine their language. Language does not only signify an expression of communication, but is a signifier of all that is valued. Even if we come to a point where we believe that our interpretation of language is almost absolutely accurate, we are never the less limited by our place in time and space. The belief in a science of writing comes from the view that there is an ultimate truth in the sign. Derrida refers to this as Logocentrism.