语言的起源是一个有高度争议性的话题，由于可得到的实证证据的欠缺，许多人认为严肃的学者不应涉足于此问题。1866年，巴黎语言学会甚至明令禁止讨论此问题，这一禁令对西方学界产生的影响一直延续到20世纪末。现今，关于语言在何时何地如何起源的问题有着众多的假说，假说的数量几乎与此领域中学者的数量一样多。对旁观者来说，与一百年前用达尔文演化学说对这一问题作粗糙解释的时代相比，如今此领域中似乎并没有达成更多的共识。自1990年代起，越来越多的语言学家、神经科学家、考古学家、心理学家、人类学家等都开始尝试应用各种新方法来探究这一“科学界最难的问题”。

The origin of language in the human species has been the topic of scholarly discussions for several centuries. In spite of this, there is no consensus on the ultimate origin or age of human language. One problem makes the topic difficult to study: the lack of direct evidence. Consequently, scholars wishing to study the origins of language must draw inferences from other kinds of evidence such as the fossil record, archaeological evidence, contemporary language diversity, studies of language acquisition, and comparisons between human language and systems of communication existing among other animals (particularly other primates). Many argue that the origins of language probably relate closely to the origins of modern human behavior, but there is little agreement about the implications and directionality of this connection.