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Article published In: Interaction and Iconicity in the Evolution of Language:
Edited by Stefan Hartmann, Michael Pleyer, James Winters and Jordan Zlatev
[Interaction Studies 18:3] 2017
► pp. 376–401

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Debunking two myths against vocal origins of language

Language is iconic and multimodal to the core

 |  Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics |
Published online: 8 December 2017
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https://doi.org/10.1075/is.18.3.05per
Gesture-first theories of language origins often raise two unsubstantiated arguments against vocal origins. First, they argue that great ape vocal behavior is highly constrained, limited to a fixed, species-typical repertoire of reflexive calls. Second, they argue that vocalizations lack any significant potential to ground meaning through iconicity, or resemblance between form and meaning. This paper reviews the considerable evidence that debunks these two “myths”. Accumulating evidence shows that the great apes exercise voluntary control over their vocal behavior, including their breathing apparatus, larynx, and supralaryngeal articulators. They are also able to learn new vocal behaviors, and even show some rudimentary ability for vocal imitation. In addition, an abundance of research demonstrates that the vocal modality affords rich potential for iconicity. People can understand iconicity in sound symbolism, and they can produce iconic vocalizations to communicate a diverse range of meanings. Thus, two of the primary arguments against vocal origins theories are not tenable. As an alternative, the paper concludes that the origins of language – going as far back as our last common ancestor with great apes – are rooted in iconicity in both gesture and vocalization.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction: Gestures versus vocalizations
  • 2.Myth 1: Great ape vocal behavior is fixed and reflexive
    • 2.1Voluntary control of vocal behavior
    • 2.2Learning in vocal behavior
  • 3.Myth 2: Vocalizations cannot be iconic
    • 3.1Sound symbolism
    • 3.2Iconic vocalizations
  • 4.Conclusion: Language is iconic and multimodal to the core
  • Notes
  • References
References (117)
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2021. Novel vocalizations are understood across cultures. Scientific Reports 11:1 DOI logo
Żywiczyński, Przemysław, Sławomir Wacewicz & Casey Lister
2021. Pantomimic fossils in modern human communication. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 376:1824 DOI logo
DINGEMANSE, MARK, MARCUS PERLMAN & PAMELA PERNISS
2020. Construals of iconicity: experimental approaches to form–meaning resemblances in language. Language and Cognition 12:1 ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Hodge, Gabrielle
2020. Book review. Journal of Pragmatics 157 ► pp. 145 ff. DOI logo
Macuch Silva, Vinicius, Judith Holler, Asli Ozyurek & Seán G. Roberts
2020. Multimodality and the origin of a novel communication system in face-to-face interaction. Royal Society Open Science 7:1 ► pp. 182056 ff. DOI logo
Bergman, Thore J., Jacinta C. Beehner, Melissa C. Painter & Morgan L. Gustison
2019. The speech-like properties of nonhuman primate vocalizations. Animal Behaviour 151 ► pp. 229 ff. DOI logo
Fröhlich, Marlen, Christine Sievers, Simon W. Townsend, Thibaud Gruber & Carel P. van Schaik
2019. Multimodal communication and language origins: integrating gestures and vocalizations. Biological Reviews 94:5 ► pp. 1809 ff. DOI logo
Mertz, Justine, Annaëlle Surreault, Erica van de Waal & Jennifer Botting
2019. Primates are living links to our past: The contribution of comparative studies with wild vervet monkeys to the field of social cognition. Cortex 118 ► pp. 65 ff. DOI logo
Żywiczyński, Przemysław
2019. How research on language evolution contributes to linguistics. Yearbook of the Poznan Linguistic Meeting 5:1 ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Graham, Kirsty E., Catherine Hobaiter, James Ounsley, Takeshi Furuichi, Richard W. Byrne & Lars Chittka
2018. Bonobo and chimpanzee gestures overlap extensively in meaning. PLOS Biology 16:2 ► pp. e2004825 ff. DOI logo
Perniss, Pamela
2018. Why We Should Study Multimodal Language. Frontiers in Psychology 9 DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 17 march 2026. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

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