How did Neanderthals speak? Study points to human-like speech
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The study was based on the detailed analysis and digital reconstruction of the structure of bones present in the skulls of Neanderthals
In a major discovery, the researchers in a study have found that the Neanderthals had the capacity to both hear as well as produce speech sounds similar to those produced by modern humans.
On the basis of the detailed analysis and digital reconstruction of the bones present in their skulls, the study, which was published in 2021, settled an aspect related to the linguistic capabilities of Neanderthals.
"This is one of the most important studies I have been involved in during my career," said palaeoanthropologist Rolf Quam of Binghamton University, as reported by sciencealert.
"The results are solid and clearly show the Neanderthals had the capacity to perceive and produce human speech. This is one of the very few current, ongoing research lines relying on fossil evidence to study the evolution of language, a notoriously tricky subject in anthropology,” he added.
The theory of Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalis) being more primitive than modern humans (Homo sapiens) has been outdated, and a lot of evidence in recent years has demonstrated that they were more intelligent than once assumed.
The Neanderthals are believed to have developed crafted tools, created art, and technology and held funerals for their dead. However, whether Neanderthals have actually spoken with Homo sapiens has remained a mystery.
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Communication system of Neanderthals
The complex behaviours of the Neanderthals have suggested that they were able to communicate, however, some scientists stated that only modern humans had the mental capacity to carry out the complex linguistic processes.
Watch: New findings shed light on the social organisation of Neanderthals
"The presence of similar hearing abilities, particularly the bandwidth, demonstrates that the Neanderthals possessed a communication system that was as complex and efficient as modern human speech,” said palaeoanthropologist Mercedes Conde-Valverde of the University of Alcala.
"Most previous studies of Neanderthal speech capacities focused on their ability to produce the main vowels in English spoken language," said Quam, while speaking to ScienceAlert.
"However, we feel this emphasis is misplaced, since the use of consonants is a way to include more information in the vocal signal and it also separates human speech and language from the communication patterns in nearly all other primates. The fact that our study picked up on this is a really interesting aspect of the research and is a novel suggestion regarding the linguistic capacities in our fossil ancestors,” he added.
(With inputs from agencies)
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