Final answer:
Evidence suggests that Neanderthals may have been capable of spoken language, but it is still a topic of debate.
Step-by-step explanation:
There is some evidence to suggest that Neanderthals were capable of spoken language, although it is still a topic of debate among researchers. One piece of evidence is the presence of the FOXP2 gene in Neanderthals, which is linked to language comprehension in modern humans. Another piece of evidence comes from the anatomical analysis of the Neanderthal throat, which suggests that they may have been physically capable of producing complex speech. However, their high-placed larynx may have limited their ability to produce certain sounds, such as vowels.