How did language evolve?

Many species have a rich system of signs that they use for communications. Animal
communication is the transfer of information of
one animal to the other. This information is
understood by the other party and when
understood it affects the behavior of the animal.
According to Wikipedia Animal communication is
the transfer of information from one or a group
of animals (sender or senders) to one or more
other animals (receiver or receivers) which
affects either the current or future behavior of the
receivers.1
This shows that animals are able to use
some sort of communication to their advantage.
On the right you can see a picture with different
body positions for dogs. Dogs do not
communicate using language like humans do,
however they still communicate by positioning
their body differently. Every position means
something different. This is not only the case for
dogs, all animals use communication to their
advantage. Nonetheless, there is one species
which took this to another step; us humans. The
human language is infinitely expressive. It is very complex using subordinate
clauses, moods, cases and prepositions to make up something we call grammar. We
use our language to deliver information, not only about less complex things such as
us being happy or sad. We use our language to provide the people around us with
information. But how and when did humans start to use language as a method of
communication, how did language evolve?
It is possible to bring up a chimpanzee form birth as if it were a human. You could
teach it how to wear clothes and how to eat with knife and fork, but you would not be
able to teach it how to talk. This is due to neurological differences, and have been
partially caused by a mutation around 100,000 years ago in the language gene. This
was first discovered when a British family had 16 members over three generations
with severe speech difficulties, this family was later on known as the KE family.
Speech problems are normally part of a wide spectrum of learning difficulties.
However, the problems of the KE family were more specific. Their speech was
impossible to understand, as well as that they had hard times understanding other
people, in particular when they applied rules of grammar. To add to that, they also
had problems making complex movements with their mouth and tongue. The problem
for the speech difficulties was found to be caused by a mutation in a gene called the
FOXP2. This gene was found to be regulating the activity of other genes, however it
is not yet known which genes are activated or controlled by FOXP2. In mice the
FOXP2 gene is active in the brain during the embryonic stage, thus it is presumed
that it is the same thing in humans.
1 18.05.16 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_communication

The KE family did not revert back to a monkey or chimp-like version of the
FOXP2 gene, it was a completely new mutation. This is an example of mutations
which are not necessary beneficial, but a mutation which is rather useless. This gene
can be linked to the evolution of language. It is interesting to see if a chimpanzee
could speak or learn how to speak if he had the same gene as we humans have, this
is not possible as there are technical and ethical problems. Nevertheless, the human
version of the gene has been put into mice, and interestingly it was found that there
was a small drop in the pitch of their squeals. So when did humans stop grunting and
making random noises, and started talking and communicating. It is believed that
humans first started talking around 100,000 years ago. As already mentioned, the KE
family had a mutation in their FOXP2 gene which led to their speech difficulties.
Therefore, it is believed that 100,000 years ago a mutation occurred in the FOXP2
gene allowing communication and distancing ourselves even further from any
ancestors we have.
This mutation of the FOXP2 gene is what enables us to speak, and make our
species so advanced. However, why is the ability to speak so strong and how did it
help humanity to reach what we have today. As already mentioned, we can use
language to transmit information, we can use it to alter the mind set of another
person. It is considered a social technology which allowed early human tribes access
to a powerful new tool: cooperation. This sharing of knowledge is what makes us
different from our ancestors like the Homo Erectus. This upright standing ape, living
around 2 million years ago, develop simple tools, so called hand axes. However, if
you look at fossil records, you cannot find any new technological breakthroughs. This
is similar for our closest ancestor the Neanderthal, who was more develop than the
Homo Erectus, but he too did not show any major or consistent breakthroughs. This
links to the idea that through language and the sharing of knowledge we have come
to what we are today. This social learning has been achieved through the ability to
speak, to communicate.
In the end communication is something natural, however humans have evolved
through a mutation in the FOXP2 gene, which enabled complex communication using
language. This is what allowed humanity to develop things we use nowadays, as
language is a form of sharing information.