In the beginning was the word, …

… and the word was, “RUN!” or, “HIDE!” or, “STAY!”

Totally makes sense that history started with a word, else what could be told to others?

This is not focused on making sounds, but a communicative language. A recent genomic study places human divergence driving language somewhere 135,000 years past.

Based on what the genomics data indicate about the geographic divergence of early human populations, he adds, “I think we can say with a fair amount of certainty that the first split occurred about 135,000 years ago, so human language capacity must have been present by then, or before.”

https://phys.org/news/2025-03-genomic-capacity-language-emerged-years.html

As this divergence occurred tracing back languages developed within those different groups. Linguistic capacity 135,000 years ago: Linguistic capacity was present in the Homo sapiens population 135 thousand years ago,” – Frontiers in Psychology.

The author clarifies this possible confusion.

“Language is both a cognitive system and a communication system,” Miyagawa says. “My guess is prior to 135,000 years ago, it did start out as a private cognitive system, but relatively quickly that turned into a communications system.”

So, how can we know when distinctively human language was first used? The archaeological record is invaluable in this regard. Roughly 100,000 years ago, the evidence shows, there was a widespread appearance of symbolic activity, from meaningful markings on objects to the use of fire to produce ocher, a decorative red color.

https://phys.org/news/2025-03-genomic-capacity-language-emerged-years.html

So, now back to that first word … what were conditions really like environmentally during this time on earth?

“We have now added a view of the climate changes at the end of another ice age, for comparison, and we found that the patterns were different,” said co-author Professor Eelco Rohling, from the University of Southampton and ANU.

“At the end of the last ice age, rapid melting of the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets and major climate changes did not occur at the same time. At the end of the ice-age before last, 135,000 years ago, a rapid collapse of the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets into the North Atlantic Ocean suppressed ocean circulation, and caused global climate impacts.

Science Daily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/06/150610131444.htm

Around 135,000 years ago on earth, an ice age was creating high rates of climate change and probably highly dangerous conditions for humans …. rates of high danger, rates of high change. Those sound to me like ideal conditions for language to develop as fast as possible to help humans survive in a world changing faster and different than prior to ice age?

Maybe language was needed to accelerate learning to avoid dangers before teaming for a hunt, or religious rituals of a godhead.

Hunting comes after preservation; religion comes after sustenance … safety first as they say. Hence, I see the first words as ‘safety’ focused … not eating, who eats when they’re dead, and further who worships god when they’re dead or starving?

A deep dive in MSFT CoPilot produced this chart

      [Predatory Danger]
              │
              ▼
   ┌──────────────────┐  
   │ Primitive Sounds │  ← Early warnings: guttural shouts and rapid gestures become communicative cues.
   └──────────────────┘  
              │
              ▼
  ┌─────────────────────┐
  │  Emerging Symbols   │  ← Carved on rock: jagged marks, spirals, and interlocking shapes representing danger and safety.
  └─────────────────────┘
              │
              ▼
  ┌─────────────────────┐
  │  Shared Language    │  ← The community uses these symbols and sounds to warn and protect one another.
  └─────────────────────┘
              │
              ▼
     [Community Safety]

Images from MSFT Co-pilot