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The First Language

The First Language

What was the earliest language and how did it evolve? Michael Rosen investigates.

Word of Mouth · BBC Radio 4

July 16, 201928m 11s

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Show Notes

Michael Rosen asks what the earliest language was and how it evolved. Michael joins linguist Dr Laura Wright on a journey to meet our meat-scavenging, fire-harnessing ancestors to discover the primal sources of language. There are thousands of languages today - is it possible to trace them back to a single ancestor? With anthropologist Robert Foley and linguist Maggie Tallerman.

Producer: Melvin Rickarby