Scientists suggest the language used by Neanderthals; know more

Neanderthals, a hominid species that was contemporary with our ancestors, have always intrigued researchers.

In this sense, one of the most fascinating questions is: what was the language spoken by this race of early humans?

A recent study, published on the PsyArXiv preprint server, seeks to shed light on this mystery, combining evidence from different disciplines to unlock the secrets of communication neanderthal.

See too: Ancient humans survived the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs

The language of the Neanderthals

According to the linguist Antonio Benítez-Burraco, main author of the study and professor at the renowned University of Seville, in Spain, it is very It is likely that Neanderthals spoke languages ​​very similar to ours, but less complex structurally and less flexible in terms of language. functionality.

The multidisciplinary research analyzed the speech abilities of Neanderthals based on anatomical, sociocultural, cognitive, environmental and

genetic.

The results revealed that Neanderthals' vocal tracts were highly similar to our own, suggesting that they were capable of producing most of the sounds that we modern humans make.

Furthermore, their hearing was comparable to that of present-day humans, indicating that they possessed the necessary resources for complex vocal communication.

However, the shape of the Neanderthal cranial cavity revealed that their brains were less "globular" compared to ours.

This anatomical difference has led to speculation that Neanderthals might not have been able to carry out "human thinking". intermodal”, which could limit their ability to create complex linguistic structures, combining different concepts.

Furthermore, the simplicity of Neanderthal tools discovered so far suggests that they did not share our ability to perform “hierarchical thinking” and therefore may not be able to construct elaborate sentences.

just guesses

Benítez-Burraco points out that the study led by him brings only speculation about the supposed Neanderthal language and that it is still not possible to state with certainty how our ancient relatives evolved. communicated.

However, he suggests that Neanderthal languages ​​could have less complex syntax, a reduced number of functional categories and less distinctive sounds.

It is possible that these languages ​​also had difficulty conveying sophisticated propositional meanings.

One of the intriguing assumptions raised by the research is the relationship between the environment in which Neanderthals lived and their language.

In this sense, the researcher suggests that the “cold, dry and open environments” in which Neanderthals inhabited could have influenced the development of a “rich consonantism” in their language.

According to theories that relate environment and language, cold temperatures disfavor the use of tone to transmit linguistic information, while dryness affects vowel sounds.

Benítez-Burraco also points out that these speculations are gross and highly speculative, but they allow us to reflect on the complexity of the communication of the Neanderthals. By admitting the limitations of his study, the researcher points out that it is unlikely that we know for sure how Neanderthals spoke.

In any case, this multidisciplinary investigation offers a fascinating insight into the lives and language of our ancient relatives, transporting us on a journey through time to unlock the secrets of a long-lost language millennia.