In an article in “Science,” Charles Hockett demonstrates that the soft “f” and “v” sounds, previously thought to be more common among cultures that ate softer foods, evolved in the early Neloitic, thanks to a particular conformation of the mouth, jaw, and upper teeth. Hockett demonstrates in particular that easier-to-chew food selected genetic traits that led to skull and mouth conformations that allowed the previously unpronounceable “f” and “v” sounds to be pronounced. These sounds are still absent from hunter-gatherer cultures still existing on the planet.
