In keeping with Sean’s previous Evolang Preview some Neanderthal&language evolution-related news:
As Andrew Lamont writes on the official LINGUIST List Blog:
The controversy over whether Neanderthals possessed a capacity for language may have been resolved. After years of speculation by evolutionary anthropologists and geneticists, a group of linguists has announced today that they have uncovered written evidence proving the Neanderthal capacity for language.
[…]
Schmaltz’ team was able to identify and translate two texts left by Neanderthals. The first, a recent discovery in Spain, is a fragment of a teenager’s diary. It reads oog.oog.oog and has been translated as ‘[Dear diary, I feel] emotionally distant. [I wish I had my own cave]’.”
Read the whole thing here.
Pretty cute.
Understood that this is an April fools joke, but its in poor taste showing that we haven’t gotten past the stereotypes based on the othering of Neanderthal institutionalized during the heyday of European scientific racism and colonialism.