Bipedalism was the first human-specific characteristic to be acquired by our human ancestors, appearing over seven million years ago. It is well known that this characteristic later contributed to the emergence of spoken language.

The upright posture lowered the position of the larynx, and the vocal tract was broadened so that the sound waves generated when air passed through the vocal cords resonated.

There is a possibility, however, that humans improved their musical abilities prior to speech. Since the arms were no longer used to support the body, the valve-like larynx’s function of stabilizing air pressure in the chest was lessened, and it changed into a membrane-like soft vocal cord, resulting in an expansion of the types of vocal sounds that could be made.

■References (Books, papers, Web articles, etc.)
The Singing Neanderthals: The Origins of Music, Language, Mind, and Body　　Steven Mithen　 Harvard University Press (October 31, 2007)

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