ABSTRACT
The foundations of culture were already being practised by 1.8 Myr, a little while after the Homo genus had diverged into species that included H. habilis and H. erectus. The extent to which new skills were being transferred in prehistory tells people something about how they were being learnt, because different ways of learning vary in their efficiency. Analysis of modern speech suggests there was once a single, common ancestral language. Since all modern human populations maintain complex spoken language abilities, this language may have been well developed amongst H. sapiens before or during the Great Expansion. Although the arrival of modern spoken language has been so significant for learning and for history, the evolutionary idea of "gradualism" suggests we are looking for undramatic origins. Many different animals use vocal sounds to warn others of predators, or to attract mates, and many more animals use movement signals to repel aggressors – such as baring their teeth.
