Page "Evolutionary linguistics" Paragraph 6

Another controversial dichotomy is the question of whether human language is solely human or on a continuum with ( admittedly far removed ) animal communication systems.

Studies in ethology have forced researchers to reassess many claims of uniquely human abilities for language and speech.

For instance, Tecumseh Fitch has argued that the descended larynx is not unique to humans.

Similarly, once held uniquely human traits such as formant perception, combinatorial phonology and compositional semantics are now thought to be shared with at least some nonhuman animal species.

Conversely, Derek Bickerton and others argue that the advent of abstract words provided a mental basis for analyzing higher-order relations, and that any communication system that remotely resembles human language utterly relies on cognitive architecture that co-evolved alongside language.