Fundamental building blocks of language first emerged in human ancestors 30-40 million years ago, research suggests

Scientists tested ability of humans monkeys and apes to recognise the relationships between various sounds, writes Harry Cockburn

Chimpanzees Tina and Martin, who were studied at the National Centre for Chimpanzee Care in Texas (University of Warwick)

Language has been one of our species’ most fundamental breakthroughs, allowing us to communicate in extraordinary detail across an infinite range of subjects, so understanding its origins is central to our understanding of what it means to be human.

New research indicates our ancestors first began to build crude relationships between words as early as 30 million years ago. Today, our species flourishes by sharing thoughts, culture, information and technology through language — while no other species is known to be able to do so.

However, the fundamental early “building blocks” of language have been found in today’s monkeys and apes by scientists from the University of Warwick and the University of Zurich.