How to speak Neanderthal

Abstract

Roberts et al report that recent evidence suggests Neanderthals probably had languages very similar to humans. Surprisingly, they may now have the means to glimpse those utterances in the words they speak today, with huge consequences for their understanding of language evolution. The argument that Neanderthals spoke like them comes from many discoveries. Archaeological remains show that they had a sophisticated lifestyle, with human traits like caring for the infirm and the sick, and an advanced toolkit, including bone tools and body paint--complex behavior that should only be possible if they had language. There are some more direct anatomical evidence: traces of nerve pathways through bones in the skull suggest Neanderthals could control their vocalizations, for instance--an adaptation necessary for language that other apes lack. It also looks as if Neanderthals had many gene variants associated with processing language.