Apparition of language
Created: March 14, 2020 / Updated: November 2, 2024 / Status: finished / 1 min read (~169 words)
When did language appear?
According to articles cited on Wikipedia, language would have first evolved around 50,000 to 150,000 years ago.
Given how we've evolved from single cells into multicellular organisms, there is likely a point we reached where communication between cells had to occur in order to get things done (e.g., survive).
As we got more and more complex, some specialized communication developed itself (e.g., nerves) so that some cells were responsible for decision and communication while others were responsible for doing.
With the apparition of the brain, decision making centralized in a single location away from the parts it controls.
For a while those systems might have been reactive, animating us but not giving us any control over those actions.
We reached a stage where large multi-cellular organisms were living together and still had to communicate with one another. Using chemical/electrical signaling was not an option anymore, so we made use of gestures and sound.