Origins of human speech
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Origins of human speech
by Bill Sat Oct 28, 2023 1:15 am
While some might think that the Tower of Babel explains the variety of languages, it does not attempt to pinpoint the very first utterings of human beings. Science cannot provide a compelling case for any one of many hypotheses on this topic, so it remains an open issue.
The development of human language has long fascinated scholars and linguists. These experts have various perspectives and theories for when humans started speaking and the reasons language evolved in the way that it did. There is much to learn from the laryngeal descent theory, to the arguments made for neurological and intelligence-based speech development.
The Laryngeal Descent Theory
The laryngeal descent theory (LDT) posits that language became possible only after anatomically modern Homo sapiens evolved around 200,000 years to 300,000 years ago. In H. sapiens, the larynx is lower in the throat than in our pre-H. sapiens ancestors or in modern non-human primates.
This position of the larynx makes the vocal tract longer, making it possible to produce a variety of speech sounds, particularly the subtle distinctions among vowel sounds that our ancestors could not and other primates cannot make. Scientists call this the LDT and for many years, it was the most widely accepted view.
Challenging the Laryngeal Descent Theory
However, in 2019, a study in Science Advances called that dogma into question. The researchers looked at decades of research on primate vocalizations and anatomy, for example, research that found that the macaque, an Old-World monkey, has the necessary anatomy to support spoken language and is quite capable of distinctly producing the vowel sounds, “bit,” “bet,” “bat,” “but,” and “bought.”
How Did Language Start?
Based on this research and other data, the authors argue that the ability to make speech sounds goes back to the time when humans and Old-World monkeys last shared a common ancestor, as long as 27 million years ago.
Alternate Views on the Origins of Language
As might be expected with such a dramatic shift in dogma, not everyone agrees with that timeline. In an article for The Conversation, George Poulos, a linguist at the University of South Africa, says that the first speech sounds came along a mere 70,000 years ago, and the ability to produce vowel and consonant sounds didn’t evolve until around 50,000 years ago.
The development of human language has long fascinated scholars and linguists. These experts have various perspectives and theories for when humans started speaking and the reasons language evolved in the way that it did. There is much to learn from the laryngeal descent theory, to the arguments made for neurological and intelligence-based speech development.
The Laryngeal Descent Theory
The laryngeal descent theory (LDT) posits that language became possible only after anatomically modern Homo sapiens evolved around 200,000 years to 300,000 years ago. In H. sapiens, the larynx is lower in the throat than in our pre-H. sapiens ancestors or in modern non-human primates.
This position of the larynx makes the vocal tract longer, making it possible to produce a variety of speech sounds, particularly the subtle distinctions among vowel sounds that our ancestors could not and other primates cannot make. Scientists call this the LDT and for many years, it was the most widely accepted view.
Challenging the Laryngeal Descent Theory
However, in 2019, a study in Science Advances called that dogma into question. The researchers looked at decades of research on primate vocalizations and anatomy, for example, research that found that the macaque, an Old-World monkey, has the necessary anatomy to support spoken language and is quite capable of distinctly producing the vowel sounds, “bit,” “bet,” “bat,” “but,” and “bought.”
How Did Language Start?
Based on this research and other data, the authors argue that the ability to make speech sounds goes back to the time when humans and Old-World monkeys last shared a common ancestor, as long as 27 million years ago.
Alternate Views on the Origins of Language
As might be expected with such a dramatic shift in dogma, not everyone agrees with that timeline. In an article for The Conversation, George Poulos, a linguist at the University of South Africa, says that the first speech sounds came along a mere 70,000 years ago, and the ability to produce vowel and consonant sounds didn’t evolve until around 50,000 years ago.
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