When Was Talking Invented? A Language Scientist Explains How This Unique Feature of Human Beings May Have Evolved
Based on discoveries of ancient hyoid bones, which are the bones that provide support for the larynx and anchorage for the tongue and other muscles required for speaking, researchers believe that as long as 300,000 years ago our ancestors had the ability to speak as we do now.
No other primate has a larynx low enough to produce sounds as complex as ... See more
No other primate has a larynx low enough to produce sounds as complex as ... See more
Sally Mallam • The Evolution of Storytelling
It’s testament to the powers of the storytelling brain that many psychologists argue that human language evolved in the first place in order to tell tales about each other.
Will Storr • The Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human and How to Tell Them Better
Perhaps a gesture language rather like the signing languages of the Deaf came first, with vocalizations used for attention-grabbing and emphasis (Hewes 1973; Corballis 2003, 2009). Speaking without gesturing is a difficult feat for many people, and it might be that gesturing and vocalizing have traded places, with gestures now playing the embellish
... See moreDaniel C Dennett • From Bacteria to Bach and Back
We’ll never know exactly how these early hominids communicated, but it is obvious that they did. It is certain that they handed down experiences and knowledge, aided by facial gestures and vocal sounds. In this way, mimesis would eventually have led speech to emerge as the dominant mode of communication.
Sally Mallam • The Evolution of Storytelling
Complex speech enabled cultural development, since it meant individuals could verbally share ideas and concepts.