(CLO) A new study shows that human language appeared at least 135,000 years ago, and may have been commonly used about 35,000 years later.
A key question from human history is: When did our language emerge? A new survey of genomic evidence suggests that the human ability to use language existed at least 135,000 years ago, and may have been used socially for as long as the last 100,000 years.
Homo sapiens, our species, has been around for about 230,000 years. However, when language emerged remains a mystery, with many different theories based on evidence such as fossils and cultural artifacts. A new analysis approaches the issue from a different angle, focusing on when human groups began to disperse around the world.
“The logic is simple,” explains MIT professor Shigeru Miyagawa, co-author of the study. “Every migratory group around the globe has a language, and all languages are related to each other.” Based on genomic data on the geographic divergence of human populations, he says, “We can be pretty sure that the first split occurred around 135,000 years ago, so human language abilities existed at that time or earlier.”
The study, published in Frontiers in Psychology, synthesized the results of 15 genetic studies over the past 18 years. These included three studies of the Y chromosome, three studies of mitochondrial DNA, and nine whole-genome studies.
The data suggest that the regional divergence of Homo sapiens began around 135,000 years ago, as groups of people separated geographically and gradually developed different genetic variations.
Language - A special tool of human thinking and communication
Like many linguists, Miyagawa believes that all languages have a common origin. In one book, he pointed out previously undiscovered similarities between English, Japanese, and some Bantu languages. There are more than 7,000 identified languages in the world, and he argues that they all stem from a common system.
Some scholars have suggested that the ability to speak may have emerged several million years ago, based on the physiology of primates. However, according to Miyagawa, the issue is not just the ability to produce sounds, but when humans had the cognitive capacity to develop language as we know it today - a complex system that combines vocabulary and grammar.
“Human language is unique because it combines vocabulary and grammar, creating a complex system that allows us to express sophisticated thoughts and communicate them to others,” Miyagawa said. No other animal has such a communication structure.
He also suggests that human language existed as a private cognitive system before it became a means of social communication. “I think that before 135,000 years ago, language existed as a private cognitive system and rapidly evolved into a means of communication,” Miyagawa concludes.
Archaeological evidence and the role of language in evolution
So how do we determine when distinct human language first emerged? The archaeological record provides important clues. Evidence suggests that by about 100,000 years ago, humans were engaging in symbolic activities such as carving marks on objects and using fire to create vermillion, a distinctive decorative pigment.
These symbolic behaviors, like complex and creative human language, are unique to Homo sapiens. As the article notes, “behaviors consistent with language and symbolic thought are consistently found only in the archaeological record of H. sapiens.”
Ian Tattersall, one of the co-authors, argues that language acts as a catalyst, stimulating symbolic thinking and promoting organized activity.
Miyagawa agrees with this view, emphasizing: "Language is a catalyst for modern human behavior. It stimulates thinking and drives innovation, as we see emerging about 100,000 years ago."
However, the authors acknowledge that not all scholars agree with this view. Some argue that advances in tools, materials, and social coordination at the time were the result of a gradual process of development, with language being merely a supporting factor rather than the central force.
Ha Trang (according to Frontiers in Psychology, MIT News)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/nghien-cuu-ngon-ngu-cua-loai-nguoi-xuat-hien-cach-day-135000-nam-post338693.html
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