The linguistic capacities of Neanderthals have been a topic of debate for years, with some suggesting that only modern humans were capable of complex linguistic processes. However, a study published in 2021 revealed that our Neanderthal relatives were indeed able to both hear and produce the speech sounds of modern humans, indicating a capacity for vocal communication.
The study, spearheaded by palaeoanthropologist Mercedes Conde-Valverde of the University of Alcalá in Spain, involved a detailed analysis and digital reconstruction of the bone structures in Neanderthal skulls. The results, according to Conde-Valverde, demonstrate that Neanderthals possessed a complex and efficient communication system similar to modern human speech.
“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,” shared palaeoanthropologist Rolf Quam of Binghamton University.
In addition to advanced speech capabilities, Neanderthals have been found to exhibit sophisticated behaviors such as developing technology, creating art, and engaging in funerary rituals. Moreover, the study revealed that Neanderthals had better hearing in the 4 to 5 kilohertz range than their ancestors, the Sima hominins.
As a way to include more information in the vocal signal, the study emphasized the inclusion of consonants in Neanderthal vocalizations, a feature that sets them apart from non-human primates and other mammals. The researchers caution, however, that possessing the anatomy for speech doesn’t necessarily mean Neanderthals had the cognitive ability to use it.
Based on these findings, the study concludes that Neanderthals may have possessed a form of human language that was distinct in its complexity and efficiency. Their ability to communicate vocally coupled with their complex behaviors suggests a coevolution of these traits.
The research has been published in Nature Ecology & Evolution.
The occupied bandwidth of modern humans (blue), Neanderthals (grey) and the Sima hominin (red). (Conde-Valverde et al., Nat. Ecol. Evol., 2021)
