I am aware of the fact that humans did understand each other a little bit before the invention of language, but how did they explain complex words? Was the creation of languages like a buildup of words so they start with very simple words and gradually build up so that the rest of the tribe or country or whatever would understand the meaning of the new word easier? Or was it like one big language created at once and everyone just kind of figured out the meaning of the words over time?
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We don’t really know. There are a LOT of theories as to how the earliest languages evolved. Some say that it came from using sounds to represent non-linguistic communication (such as pointing, etc), some that it must have been a mutation that allowed the intelligence needed to develop language to suddenly appear. Some say that it has to have some sort of genetic encoding, while others believe it’s a cultural development.
Beyond that, [there’s a lot of speculation and theories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_language) as to how and exactly when the first language or languages developed. It would be hard to go through them all, but you can get a sense from that article.
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