'Doh' might have been one of man's first words...

'Doh' might have been one of man's first words... Homer Simpson would have been proud

It is the very modern catchphrase of Homer Simpson. But ‘D’oh’ – or a version of it – may have prehistoric origins.

Research suggests that ‘Duh’ would have been one of the first words spoken by humans.

It is thought that the shape and mechanics of the mouth, throat and other parts of the vocal tract of our ancestors from one million years ago would have allowed them to speak – but not a lot.

Vowels would have all sounded like ‘u’. And ‘d’ goes particularly well with ‘u’ – making ‘duh’ a distinct possibility.

‘Buh’ could also have been used to communicate, says Bart de Boer, an expert on the evolution of speech.

The mouth, tongue and throat are mainly made of soft tissue and so there is little evidence of them in the fossil record.

But there is one bone in the vocal tract – the hyoid – and Dr de Boer began by studying it.

In apes the hyoid attaches to a large pouch called an air sac, that makes sounds bigger and deeper.

Our ancestors from 3.3million years ago... [Read more]

Link 2: Our ancestors speak out after 3 million years