When exactly did human language emerge? A new study suggests that humans have been chatting away for at least 135,000 years.
Researchers from MIT took a new approach to unravel that old mystery. Rather than look at fossils and artifacts, they studied the movement of ancient populations via 15 genetic studies conducted over the past 18 years. Three featured Y chromosome analysis (tracing paternal lineage), three examined mitochondrial DNA (tracing maternal lineage), and nine were whole-genome studies. All indicated that early Homo sapiens began diverging around 135,000 years ago.
The researchers believe it is likely that all languages stem from a single original one. This would mean that ancient humans had the capacity for language before we spread across the planet.
“All languages are related,” explained lead author Shigeru Miyagawa. “The first major split among humans occurred around 135,000 years ago, so we can infer that language must have existed by then — or even earlier.”
Rock inscriptions near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Shutterstock
All languages linked
Previous 2017 research suggested a similar idea but was based on fewer studies. “Quantity-wise, we now have more studies, and quality-wise, we have a narrower time window,” Miyagawa said. A linguistic expert, he believes that all languages are linked. In the past, he has studied the similarities between English, Japanese, and some Bantu languages.
Some believe that language can be traced back millions of years based on the vocal abilities of other primates. But while primates can make sounds and communicate with each other, it is nothing like human language. For Miyagawa, the question is not when primates could make certain sounds but when ancient humans developed the cognitive ability to develop a language.
“Human language is different because there are two things –- words and syntax — working together to create this very complex system,” he explained. “No other animal has a parallel structure in their communication system. And that gives us the ability to generate very sophisticated thoughts and to communicate them to others.”
Cave art in Colombia. Photo: Shutterstock
A second question is when we started using language socially and in our daily lives. Archaeological evidence suggests that widespread symbolic behavior emerged around 100,000 years ago. Artifacts such as engravings on stone walls show abstract thinking and the ability to convey a message or piece of information.
“Language was the trigger for modern human behavior,” Miyagawa says. “Somehow, it stimulated human thinking…If we are right, people were learning from each other [thanks to language] and encouraging innovations of the types we saw 100,000 years ago.”
