WWW.FRONTPAGEDETECTIVES.COM / LATEST NEWS

New Study Suggests Neanderthals Have Their Own Language—But How Different Was It From Homo Sapiens

Neanderthals could not speak human language, as they lacked the ability of 'egrodicity.'

PUBLISHED 1 DAY AGO

Neanderthal man, illustration. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by VICTOR HABBICK VISIONS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)

Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens once shared the planet. However, one species perished while the other thrived, and researchers don't know exactly why. There are many speculations about them, with one of them being that they couldn't fully integrate with Homo Sapiens. A new non-peer-reviewed study published in EcoEvoRxiv claims that this inability could have been because Neanderthals couldn't speak like Homo Sapiens. Researchers cited evidence that indicated this difference and believe it was a major reason behind these two species never assimilating, despite interbreeding with each other. This turn of events left the already floundering Neanderthals without any chance to use the resources available to the successful Homo Sapiens.

Person in Black Pants and Black Shoes Sitting on Brown Wooden Chair (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Photo by cottonbro studio)

Why Didn't Neanderthals Speak Like Homo Sapiens?

Past investigations have already showcased that the ability to speak in a particular language was facilitated in the Homo genus, long before modern humans separated from Neanderthals and Denisovans, according to IFLScience. However, the language spoken by Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens was quite different. Homo Sapiens had an ability called "ergodicity," which they incorporated into their language. Their language had multiple dialects, reflecting the unique cultural identity of each group. Egrodicity allowed humans to understand the different dialects. In the study, researchers try to find when this ability came into play for Homo Sapiens, and whether Neanderthals shared this feature.

Looking for Polyphilia

Polyphilia is a way by which groups diversify local customs, allowing the groups to maintain cultural markers of group identity. It can be found in lifestyles, dress, dietary customs, artworks, and languages. The little differences in these media allow groups to maintain a sense of "us" and "them." For example, an adult can't be fluent in a foreign language if they have never been exposed to it. It is due to polyphilia, which facilitates the distinctions. However, adults can learn another language; it is due to ergodicity. Children can even be fluent in a language that is not native to them if they are exposed to it at a young age. If polyphilia was present in the Homo Sapiens population, then that means egrodicity was also present in their faculties.

Researchers attempted to trace polyphilia in the Homo Sapiens population, and also tried to pinpoint whether it was present in Neanderthals. After going through archaeological evidence, experts concluded that polyphilia was present at least 50,000 years ago in Homo Sapiens populations, during the expansion of the lithic industry called the Aurignacian. The industry produced artifacts, which displayed subtle differences, with respect to the group using them. In Neanderthals, nothing of this sort could be found. It indicates that ergodicity arose in Homo Sapiens much after they split from Neanderthals.

The finding aligns with the brain scans of both species, which suggest that Homo Sapiens had a greater capacity for creativity, which also includes polyphilia. In the past, researchers have used such scans to conclude that Neanderthals did not have the capacity to communicate through metaphors and come up with complex and abstract concepts, according to The Conversation. Hence, even if anatomical features allowed both groups the ability to speak, their content heavily varied because of the surrounding culture and brain wiring.

Prehistoric caveman family camp in cave of la Balme France - stock photo (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Gregory_DUBUS)

How Did it Affect the Prospect of Neanderthals?

It is well known that Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens interbred, but they never assimilated. Researchers believe that different languages were a major reason. Inability to communicate kept both groups wary of each other, not allowing them to unite. Hence, when Neanderthals required help, Homo Sapiens did not extend their hand, at least on a large scale. "Neanderthals' likely inability to fully speak like sapiens may have contributed to them being considered out-group strangers, no matter how long they stayed within a sapiens group," wrote the study authors. "This continued 'othering' may have prevented full assimilation within the colonizing groups of H. sapiens, and contributed to selection against hybrids, and ultimately to the Neanderthals' demise," they added.