* No concrete evidence: There's no fossil record or physical evidence that directly reveals when humans first started speaking.
* Evolutionary process: Language likely developed gradually, over a long period of time, through a series of evolutionary steps.
* Different theories: Anthropologists and linguists have different theories about the emergence of language, ranging from 50,000 years ago to as far back as 200,000 years ago.
However, some common estimates for the emergence of *complex* human language (beyond basic communication) include:
* 50,000-100,000 years ago: This is often cited based on evidence of complex symbolic thinking (art, tools, etc.) that emerged around this time.
* 100,000-200,000 years ago: Some researchers believe that modern human language capabilities likely emerged around the time our species, *Homo sapiens*, evolved.
Important to remember:
* These are estimates, not definitive dates.
* The emergence of language was likely a gradual process, and the exact timeline remains a subject of ongoing research.
Instead of focusing on a specific year, it's more accurate to say that human language evolved over a very long period, with its roots likely being much older than any specific date we can pinpoint.