https://phys.org/news/2025-03-genomic-capacity-language-emerged-years.html Phys.org Topics * Week's top * Latest news * Unread news * Subscribe [ ] Science X Account [ ] [ ] [*] Remember me Sign In Click here to sign in with or Forget Password? Not a member? Sign up Learn more * Nanotechnology * Physics * Earth * Astronomy & Space * Chemistry * Biology * Other Sciences * Medical Xpress Medicine * Tech Xplore Technology [INS::INS] * * share this! * 391 * Tweet * Share * Email 1. Home 2. Biology 3. Evolution 1. Home 2. Biology 3. Molecular & Computational biology * * * --------------------------------------------------------------------- March 14, 2025 The GIST Editors' notes This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked peer-reviewed publication trusted source proofread Genomic study indicates our capacity for language emerged 135,000 years ago by Peter Dizikes, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cave painting Credit: CC0 Public Domain It is a deep question, from deep in our history: when did human language as we know it emerge? A new survey of genomic evidence suggests our unique language capacity was present at least 135,000 years ago. Subsequently, language might have entered social use 100,000 years ago. Our species, Homo sapiens, is about 230,000 years old. Estimates of when language originated vary widely, based on different forms of evidence, from fossils to cultural artifacts. The authors of the new analysis took a different approach. They reasoned that since all human languages likely have a common origin--as the researchers strongly think--the key question is how far back in time regional groups began spreading around the world. "The logic is very simple," says Shigeru Miyagawa, an MIT professor and co-author of a new paper summarizing the results. "Every population branching across the globe has human language, and all languages are related." Based on what the genomics data indicate about the geographic divergence of early human populations, he adds, "I think we can say with a fair amount of certainty that the first split occurred about 135,000 years ago, so human language capacity must have been present by then, or before." The paper, "Linguistic capacity was present in the Homo sapiens population 135 thousand years ago," appears in Frontiers in Psychology. Co-authors include Rob DeSalle, a principal investigator at the American Museum of Natural History's Institute for Comparative Genomics, and Ian Tattersall, curator emeritus of human origins at the American Museum of Natural History, and others. [INS::INS] The new paper examines 15 genetic studies of different varieties, published over the past 18 years: three used data about the inherited Y chromosome, three examined mitochondrial DNA, and nine were whole-genome studies. All told, the data from these studies suggest an initial regional branching of humans about 135,000 years ago. That is, after the emergence of Homo sapiens, groups of people subsequently moved apart geographically, and some resulting genetic variations have developed, over time, among the different regional subpopulations. The amount of genetic variation shown in the studies allows researchers to estimate the point in time at which Homo sapiens was still one regionally undivided group. Miyagawa says the studies collectively provide increasingly converging evidence about when these geographic splits started taking place. The first survey of this type was performed by other scholars in 2017, but they had fewer existing genetic studies to draw upon. Now, there are much more published data available, which, when considered together, points to 135,000 years ago as the likely time of the first split. The new meta-analysis was possible because "quantity-wise we have more studies, and quality-wise, it's a narrower window [of time]," says Miyagawa, who also holds an appointment at the University of Sao Paulo. Like many linguists, Miyagawa believes all human languages are demonstrably related to each other, something he has examined in his own work. For instance, in his 2010 book, "Why Agree? Why Move?" he analyzed previously unexplored similarities between English, Japanese, and some of the Bantu languages. There are more than 7,000 identified human languages around the globe. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matter--daily or weekly. [ ] Subscribe Some scholars have proposed that language capacity dates back a couple of million years, based on the physiological characteristics of other primates. But to Miyagawa, the question is not when primates could utter certain sounds; it is when humans had the cognitive ability to develop language as we know it, combining vocabulary and grammar into a system generating an infinite amount of rules-based expression. "Human language is qualitatively different because there are two things, words and syntax, working together to create this very complex system," Miyagawa says. "No other animal has a parallel structure in their communication system. And that gives us the ability to generate very sophisticated thoughts and to communicate them to others." This conception of human language origins also holds that humans had the cognitive capacity for language for some period of time before we constructed our first languages. "Language is both a cognitive system and a communication system," Miyagawa says. "My guess is prior to 135,000 years ago, it did start out as a private cognitive system, but relatively quickly that turned into a communications system." So, how can we know when distinctively human language was first used? The archaeological record is invaluable in this regard. Roughly 100,000 years ago, the evidence shows, there was a widespread appearance of symbolic activity, from meaningful markings on objects to the use of fire to produce ocher, a decorative red color. [INS::INS] Like our complex, highly generative language, these symbolic activities are engaged in by people, and no other creatures. As the paper notes, "behaviors compatible with language and the consistent exercise of symbolic thinking are detectable only in the archaeological record of H. sapiens." Among the co-authors, Tattersall has most prominently propounded the view that language served as a kind of ignition for symbolic thinking and other organized activities. "Language was the trigger for modern human behavior," Miyagawa says. "Somehow, it stimulated human thinking and helped create these kinds of behaviors. If we are right, people were learning from each other [due to language] and encouraging innovations of the types we saw 100,000 years ago." To be sure, as the authors acknowledge in the paper, other scholars believe there was a more incremental and broad-based development of new activities around 100,000 years ago, involving materials, tools, and social coordination, with language playing a role in this, but not necessarily being the central force. For his part, Miyagawa recognizes that there is considerable room for further progress in this area of research, but thinks efforts like the current paper are at least steps toward filling out a more detailed picture of language's emergence. "Our approach is very empirically based, grounded in the latest genetic understanding of early Homo sapiens," Miyagawa says. "I think we are on a good research arc, and I hope this will encourage people to look more at human language and evolution." More information: Shigeru Miyagawa et al, Linguistic capacity was present in the Homo sapiens population 135 thousand years ago, Frontiers in Psychology (2025). DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1503900 Journal information: Frontiers in Psychology Provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (web.mit.edu/ newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching. Citation: Genomic study indicates our capacity for language emerged 135,000 years ago (2025, March 14) retrieved 17 March 2025 from https://phys.org/news/ 2025-03-genomic-capacity-language-emerged-years.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. 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This capacity likely transitioned into social use around 100,000 years ago, as indicated by symbolic activities in the archaeological record. The study emphasizes that human language, characterized by the combination of vocabulary and syntax, is unique and may have spurred modern human behavior and innovation. This summary was automatically generated using LLM. Full disclaimer Let us know if there is a problem with our content Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. For general inquiries, please use our contact form. For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines). Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request [-- please select one -- ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Your message to the editors [ ] Your email (only if you want to be contacted back) [ ] Send Feedback Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors. 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