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Neanderthals probably didn't speak in guttural grunts like we imagine. Studies of preserved Neanderthal throats and vocal organs suggest they likely had loud, high-pitched, nasally whines.
Whenever Neanderthals turn up in pop culture, they tend to either make grunting ape sounds, use halting English in guttural voices, or spice up their sentences with phrases like "Yabba dabba doo." But multiple studies into their actual anatomy suggests all three of those ideas might be completely wrong.
In the BBC's 2005 documentary "Neanderthal: The Rebirth," a group of researchers studying preserved Neanderthal throats and vocal organs contracted vocal coach Patsy Rodenburg and a very enthusiastic reenactor named Elliot to reproduce the kinds of sounds that the ancient hominids would have been able to produce. The results were ... startling.
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