纪录片《为何讲话》 第38期：语言的出现（在线收听）

We may have been physically able to speak

从生理上说 我们那时就可以说话了

but linguists believe

但语言学家认为

it's more likely that the birth of language coincided with

语言的产生应该是在五万年前

the proliferation of man-made objects around 50,000 years ago.

与人造工具广泛流传的时间相同

At this time there was an explosion in art and technology.

那时艺术和科技空前繁荣

We start to see, for the first time in the archaeological record,

我们可以看到考古记录上首次出现了

lots of different tool types, lots of different implements,

各种各样的大量工具

lots of different huts that people lived in

各种人类居住的棚屋

and so these things seemed to appear rather abruptly,

这些东西似乎是突然之间大量涌现

suggesting that there was some change in the way we lived.

表明人类的生活方式发生了变化

Many scientists think that the birth of language

很多科学家认为是语言的诞生

instigated this cultural boom.

带来了那次文化繁荣

But without a time machine, we may never know exactly

没有时间机器 我们可能永远无法知道

when we started to talk.

人类开始讲话的确切年代

But what we do know is why.

但我们能知道说话的原因

Mark Pagel believes that language

马克·帕杰尔认为语言

probably developed as a practical way of defining roles

可能是作为定义社会角色的方式产生的

and it formed a kind of social glue.

并进而成为了社会的黏着剂