We’ve written before about the different types of communication animals use, and what these have in common with human language. Primates – apes and monkeys – which are so close to humans, give us some clues about how human language originated.
A new theory is coming out of research carried out at the University of Warwick, England, led by Chiara de Gregorio. It suggests that human language may originate in laughter. Primate species, including humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas, all enjoy a good laugh and laugh in response to various stimuli, including being tickled – and our laughs are remarkably similar, with rhythmic intervals between successive sounds. To the researchers, this suggests that we all share a common ancestor species that liked to laugh too, and that laughter has remained essentially the same for about 15 million years!
Humans’ laughter differs from that of other apes – we are able to use it politely in response to social cues, whereas they do not. This indicates a greater awareness and control of delicate social situations. At some point in our evolutionary history, this may have been the change that sparked the development of human language.
And that’s no laughing matter.
Photo Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/a-person-sitting-on-a-couch-with-a-laptop-X1GZqv-F7Tw
