o. The
oldest creatures in the human lineage are called hominids, while the first individuals
belonging to our own genus, Homo, appeared about 1.9 million years ago. Few
researchers – if any at all – believe language to be close to 2 million years old, but
before we discuss in more detail the upper limit or the maximum age of language, let
us take a closer look at the lower limit or the minimum age of language