* Language Evolved Gradually: Language didn't appear overnight. It likely evolved over thousands of years, starting with simple gestures, sounds, and gradually becoming more complex.
* No Written Records: The earliest human languages were oral, so there's no written record of them. We can only infer their existence and evolution from archeological evidence and the study of modern languages.
* Multiple Language Families: There are many different language families in the world, each with its own ancient roots. It's highly unlikely that one single language was the ancestor of them all.
What We Can Say:
* Proto-Languages: Linguists have reconstructed hypothetical "proto-languages" – ancestor languages from which modern language families developed. These are not actual languages we can speak, but rather theoretical models.
* Ancient Languages: There are ancient written languages with records dating back thousands of years, such as Sumerian, Akkadian, and Egyptian hieroglyphs. These are not the "first" languages, but they are among the oldest documented.
In Conclusion: While we can't pinpoint the "first" language, the study of language evolution and the reconstruction of ancient languages provides valuable insights into the history of human communication.