A new study may prove Homo erectus could speak

According to researchers, a human species that lived around two million years ago may have been capable of speech. While the language use of Neanderthals is well documented, the possibility that Homo erectus could speak sheds new light on the origins of human communication and how language might have developed among early human species.

Language is one of the most significant achievements of human evolution, serving as the primary means of transmitting information and forming an essential foundation for social cooperation and culture. Although most researchers agree that Neanderthal communication was based on some form of primitive language, the abilities of earlier human species, such as Homo erectus, in this regard have long been considered far more uncertain.

However, as IFL Science notes, the likelihood that Homo erectus could speak is much higher than previously thought, potentially offering new insights into the development of language and human culture.

Homo erectus, which appeared around two million years ago, was an extremely adaptable species that, according to researchers, possessed all the anatomical and genetic traits that may have been necessary for speech. The study highlights that Homo erectus was the first human ancestor to experience significant brain expansion, with key regions—such as the frontal and parietal lobes—morphologically resembling those of modern humans.

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Potential evidence of Homo erectus’ speech capabilities

Although anatomical features alone cannot prove the ability to speak, researchers suggest that the cognitive capacities of Homo erectus may have been sufficient for language use.

Earlier concerns had been raised that early humans’ narrow spinal canals may have prevented the advanced breath control needed for speech. However, some Homo erectus specimens show a spinal cord size comparable to that of Homo sapiens, which could have allowed for complex respiratory control.

The structure of the inner ear may also have contributed to speech: some populations of Homo erectus may have had hearing optimised for perceiving spoken sounds.

Genetic research provides further support for the possibility that Homo erectus could speak. Several mutations associated with brain and language development can be traced back to the time of Homo erectus. The FOXP2 gene, for example, is linked to the development of vocal communication and also plays a role in bipedal locomotion. Since Homo erectus could walk upright, it is plausible that they carried the genetic traits necessary for speech.

Archaeological evidence further supports the potential existence of language. Homo erectus was capable of creating and using tools that required abstract thinking and symbolic communication, reinforcing the hypothesis that they may have possessed speech capabilities.

Language and social interaction

The social and reproductive behaviour of Homo erectus may also indicate linguistic abilities. Genomic data suggest that they engaged in complex social interactions with other contemporaneous human species, which would likely have required the use of language.

Although there is currently no consensus on which human species spoke first, the evidence—genetic, anatomical, and archaeological—suggests that Homo erectus could speak—or at least may have already been capable of some form of language. If Neanderthal language can be demonstrated, it is logical to assume that Homo erectus also possessed communicative abilities, given their cognitive and anatomical capacities.

Researchers argue that while the question of Homo erectus’ ability to speak remains debated, the available evidence clearly indicates that the evolution of human speech may have begun far earlier than previously thought, and that Homo erectus could have played a crucial role in this story.

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