Analysis conducted by British archaeologist Steven Mithen indicates that early humans likely developed basic language skills approximately 1.6 million years ago, predominantly in regions of eastern or southern Africa.
Dr. Mithen, a professor of early prehistory at the University of Reading, emphasized the significance of humanity's acquisition of speech, stating that it played a pivotal role in subsequent physical and cultural evolution.
His study challenges previous beliefs held by many human evolution experts, who estimated that humans commenced speaking around 200,000 years ago. Instead, Dr. Mithen's findings, published this month, propose that rudimentary human language dates back at least eight times further.
Dr. Mithen’s conclusion stems from a comprehensive examination of archaeological, paleo-anatomical, genetic, neurological, and linguistic evidence.
The combined evidence suggests that language emergence coincided with various human evolutionary milestones between two and 1.5 million years ago. Notably, there was a rapid increase in human brain size from 2 million BC, particularly after 1.5 million BC.
Broca's area
The growth was accompanied by a reorganization of the brain's internal structure, including the appearance of Broca's area—an area associated with language production and comprehension. Broca's area appears to have evolved from earlier structures responsible for early human communication through gestures.
Additionally, recent scientific studies indicate that the development of Broca's area was linked to enhancements in working memory, crucial for constructing sentences. Other evolutionary developments, such as advanced bipedalism around 1.8 million years ago and alterations in the shape of the human skull, likely facilitated changes in the vocal tract, enabling speech.
His study challenges previous beliefs held by many human evolution experts, who estimated that humans commenced speaking around 200,000 years ago. Instead, Dr. Mithen's findings, published this month, propose that rudimentary human language dates back at least eight times further.
Dr. Mithen’s conclusion stems from a comprehensive examination of archaeological, paleo-anatomical, genetic, neurological, and linguistic evidence.
The combined evidence suggests that language emergence coincided with various human evolutionary milestones between two and 1.5 million years ago. Notably, there was a rapid increase in human brain size from 2 million BC, particularly after 1.5 million BC.
Broca's area
The growth was accompanied by a reorganization of the brain's internal structure, including the appearance of Broca's area—an area associated with language production and comprehension. Broca's area appears to have evolved from earlier structures responsible for early human communication through gestures.
Additionally, recent scientific studies indicate that the development of Broca's area was linked to enhancements in working memory, crucial for constructing sentences. Other evolutionary developments, such as advanced bipedalism around 1.8 million years ago and alterations in the shape of the human skull, likely facilitated changes in the vocal tract, enabling speech.
The archaeological record also supports the notion that humans began speaking around 1.6 million BC. Compared to many other animals, humans were relatively physically weak, necessitating compensatory strategies for survival and prosperity.
Language likely served as part of this strategy, enabling greater group planning and coordination for activities like hunting and scavenging. The emergence of more sophisticated stone tool technology around 1.6 million BC also suggests the presence of speech, facilitating the intergenerational transmission of complex knowledge and skills.
Moreover, linguistic communication likely played a crucial role in human adaptation to diverse ecological and climatic conditions, facilitating the rapid expansion of human colonization around 1.4 million years ago. Language enabled humans to conceive and plan future actions and to transmit knowledge across generations, profoundly shaping the human narrative.
Professor Mithen's research, detailed in his new book "The Language Puzzle," proposes that before 1.6 million years ago, human communication was limited to a few dozen sounds and gestures, inadequate for forward planning. He suggests that some aspects of early human languages may persist in modern languages today, such as words describing objects through sounds or length.
While the birth of language may have occurred around 1.6 million years ago, linguistic development continued over hundreds of thousands of years, gradually becoming more complex, particularly with the emergence of anatomically modern humans 150,000 years ago.
Language likely served as part of this strategy, enabling greater group planning and coordination for activities like hunting and scavenging. The emergence of more sophisticated stone tool technology around 1.6 million BC also suggests the presence of speech, facilitating the intergenerational transmission of complex knowledge and skills.
Moreover, linguistic communication likely played a crucial role in human adaptation to diverse ecological and climatic conditions, facilitating the rapid expansion of human colonization around 1.4 million years ago. Language enabled humans to conceive and plan future actions and to transmit knowledge across generations, profoundly shaping the human narrative.
Professor Mithen's research, detailed in his new book "The Language Puzzle," proposes that before 1.6 million years ago, human communication was limited to a few dozen sounds and gestures, inadequate for forward planning. He suggests that some aspects of early human languages may persist in modern languages today, such as words describing objects through sounds or length.
While the birth of language may have occurred around 1.6 million years ago, linguistic development continued over hundreds of thousands of years, gradually becoming more complex, particularly with the emergence of anatomically modern humans 150,000 years ago.
Source: The Independent
More In History MORE...
