Fire usage may have catalyzed the evolution of human language

New research suggests that the use of fire may have acted as a catalyst for the development of human language. A study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B proposes that between 2 and 1.5 million years ago, the progressive incorporation of fire into the social lives of early hominins created a unique nocturnal niche.

Researchers Catherine Hobaiter of the University of St Andrews and Nathaniel J. Dominy of Dartmouth College argue that fire helped facilitate the transition from gesture-based communication to more abstract, generative spoken language. The presence of fire provided a shared visual stimulus and made long-distance gestural communication more difficult, thereby favoring oral narration and social synchrony.

While great apes like chimpanzees and gorillas rely heavily on a wide repertoire of intentional gestures, the study suggests that the physical and social conditions provided by fire encouraged the shift toward the complex vocalizations characteristic of human speech.