Final answer:
Early language experiments with apes, including Koko the gorilla, suggested that great apes can use symbolic systems to communicate, hinting at their capacity for a protolanguage. These studies, along with archaeological and biological evidence from early hominins, have contributed to our understanding of the neural and cognitive origins of human language.
Step-by-step explanation:
Brief Overview of Early Experiments with Apes and Human Language
Early experiments with apes and human language involved teaching chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos, and orangutans to use various symbolic systems such as gestures or tokens to communicate. These studies demonstrated that great apes possess the basic capacity for what could be considered a protolanguage, which is a simple set of gestures or utterances that may have been a precursor to fully developed human language. Despite skepticism among some linguists, these efforts highlighted that apes are capable of cooperative interaction using symbols to achieve goals, suggesting an innate ability to engage with protolanguage-like communication. The most notable example of such work is the groundbreaking research with Koko the gorilla, whose ability to use sign language has opened new possibilities for understanding nonhuman primate language capabilities.
The studies further connected the development of neural networks, essential for speech, with the emergence of language in human evolution. The archaeological evidence from our ancestors, such as Homo habilis and Homo erectus, which includes sophisticated tool use and artwork, suggested that complex social and cognitive abilities were at play—abilities closely linked to language development. Furthermore, the role of mirror neurons situated near Broca's area in the human brain implies that imitation, seen in tool making and possibly gesture-based communication, was an important step towards the emergence of complex human language.