Computers Emulate Neanderthal Speech

Clarence writes "After some 30,000 years of silence, the Neanderthal race is once again speaking thanks to some advanced computer simulation. A Florida Atlantic University professor is using software vocal tract reconstructions to emulate the speech of our long-dead distant relatives. 'He says the ancient human's speech lacked the "quantal vowel" sounds that underlie modern speech. Quantal vowels provide cues that help speakers with different size vocal tracts understand one another, says Robert McCarthy, who was talking at the annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists in Columbus, Ohio, on April 11. In the 1970s, linguist Phil Lieberman, of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, inferred the dimensions of the larynx of a Neanderthal based on its skull. His team concluded that Neanderthal speech did not have the subtlety of modern human speech.'"

Obligatory joke

[bughunter]

His team concluded that Neanderthal speech did not have the subtlety of modern human speech.

I'm imagining, then, that it sounded something like "Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran."

[ducks]

Just great

[CSMatt]

Computers are already cryptic enough when they speak normal English. I'd rather not have to hear one say "Me get segfault. Me dump core."

Groan.

[Rob T Firefly]

Let me guess.. the simulator immediately tried to sell people car insurance.

Eh!

[LordKaT]

Anyone else find it funny that the Neanderthal sounds oddly familiar [wikipedia.org].

close approximation

[rigelstar]

It's remarkable that they were able to get that close to the actual sound. I feel like I've gone back in time hearing that reproduction.

Gutturals...

[davidsyes]

Throw in a Tuvan throat singer, an Aussie with a digidiroo, and Hal, and we'll have oen halluv an ensemble going.

(Oh, throw in Shatner with some Esperanto, too... and some Kirk-being-stunned-on-heavy break dance...)

We see & hear it on David Letterman Show

[Anonymous Coward]

Why all the hard work? We see & hear it on David Letterman show every night (great moments in Presidential history, last segment)

we know

[Trailer Trash]

His team concluded that Neanderthal speech did not have the subtlety of modern human speech.

It's well-established in our cartoons and such that neanderthals often use the objective "me" rather than nominative "I", i.e. "me doug". Looks like the verb of being wasn't invented yet, either...

Le Ugh

[Anonymous Coward]

The last fossils come from France and Spain some 35,000 years ago and it's not unrealistic to suppose that some version of the language would have been spoken by them.

Le Ugh? Or El Ugh?!?

That's assuming that "Ugh" is masculine. Maybe, the Neanderthals had different genders for their nouns.

Re:Obligatory joke

[jollyreaper]

I'm imagining, then, that it sounded something like "Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran."

[ducks]

I was thinking more along the lines of "I'm the decider! You've done a heck of a job, Brownie." But I could be completely wrong. It might sound more like "Developers developers developers developers."

Re:Neanderthals weren't subtle?

[Anonymous Coward]

I would not be surprised, if we could go back in time

I would.

Re:pointless science?

[geekoid]

It's another remaqrkable point in how hast we gained speech.

It really hasn't been that long, and our speech as evolved an emence amount. Obviously that's because it is advantages.

They may have been suspecting this, but a great many times since has done research to find out something completely unexpected, a 'this is odd' moment.

Re:Obligatory joke

[Dunbal]

I don't expect everyone in china to know how to wield a Katana

      Neither do I. Aren't katanas Japanese? :)

First Result...

[Foobar of Borg]

"I say, unhand me you confounded, unsanitary homonid!"

Re:More importantly

[SpaceLifeForm]

Ow! Me no want micro-sloth windows. Ow! Me no want micro-sloth office.

Re:Ogg the Caveman

[Concerned Onlooker]

Still hiding away in his cave. Working on his audio format.

Re:Groan.

[dreamchaser]

It's people like you who sterotype all cavemen that are the problem, you insensitive clod. Some of them hunt, or sell rocks, or whatever it is they do. It's not just about selling insurance!

Re:Obligatory joke

[Starayo]

Wé can't?

And the neanderthal said...

[SlappyBastard]

Vote Republican.

Re:Just great

[kylehase]

Computers are already cryptic enough when they speak normal English. I'd rather not have to hear one say "Unga bunga. Me get segfault. Me dump core."

Fixed that for you. [wikipedia.org]

Re:the first test phrase...

[CSMatt]

Snu-Snu.

Re:Obligatory joke

[mcvos]

I don't expect everyone in china to know how to wield a Katana,

Pointy end goes in the other guy.

Re:Neanderthals weren't subtle?

[SurturZ]

> I would not be surprised, if we could go back in time, to see early humans communicating primarily by signs,
> with vocal communication only as a backup.

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Re:Does this work for present humans?

[famebait]

I wonder if there are any stack-based langages?

    push "this"
    push "apple"
    is-a
    push "red"
    has-property

Or is that in fact just Polish in reverse?