A recent study suggests that human language might be much older than is currently thought, perhaps dating back as far as half a million years."In sum, the evidence points to modern speech capacities in the common ancestor of Neandertals and modern humans. The auditory specializations for speech on the modern bandwidth are present, the morphology of the larynx looks modern, and air sacs have been replaced by a finely controlled pulmonic airstream mechanism for vocalization. In addition, the gene that is known to be involved in the fine motor control necessary for speech, FOXP2, has its modern form (although possibly not all of its modern regulatory environment)."
In fact, Authors Dan Dediu and Stephen C. Levinson argue that Neanderthals had significant language capability and probably influenced modern human language in ways that we can detect today.
I have often contemplated that human civilization is much older than thought and the beginnings of language would be one hint. Maybe this isn't just all talk.
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