In the 230,000 years old that drags the Homo sapiens He has developed multiple skills and abilities, but perhaps the most important is the linguistic capacitywhich makes it different from other living beings. But when did this capacity arise? And the human language How do we know him today? A new study Genomic evidence suggests that the first existed at least 135,000 years ago and language could have subsequently entered social use, 100,000 years ago.
The authors of the new analysis, published in the magazine Frontiers in Psychologythey started from a key premise: since all human languages probably have a common origin, the fundamental issue would rather through at what time The regional groups began to expand from time to time.
The research led by the Massachusetts Institute (MIT) examined 15 genetic studies Of different varieties published in the last 18 years: three used data on the chromosome and inherited, three examined the mitochondrial DNA and nine were studies of the full genome.
The amount of genetic variation shown in the studies allowed researchers to estimate the time in which the Homo sapiens It was still a regionally undivided group and when it branched, giving rise to the first human populations. “I think we can say quite certain that the first division occurred about 135,000 years agoso the human linguistic capacity must have been present by then, or before, ”explains MIT professor and co -author, Shigeru Miyagawa.
Linguistic capacity as the basis of human language
However, linguistic capacity is far from human language, Much more complex. For Miyagawa, the question is not when primates could emit certain sounds, but when humans acquired the cognitive ability to develop language as we know it, combining vocabulary and grammar in a system generating an infinite number of expressions.
“No other animal has a similar structure in its communication system. And that gives us the ability to generate very sophisticated thoughts and communicate to others,” follows this researcher. In this sense, there is still a long way to go and research to develop, they clarify.
Approximately 100,000 years agoaccording to archaeological records, there was wide symbolic activity, from significant brands to objects to the use of fire to produce ocher, a decorative red color. It is there where it possibly arose. “Language was the trigger for modern human behavior. Somehow, he stimulated human thought and contributed to creating this type of behavior. If we are right, people learned from each other and encouraged innovations such as those we saw 100,000 years ago,” concludes this researcher in a MIT statement.
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