In the search for the roots of language, there has been a large debate over the connection between animal communication and human language. Because language leaves little archaeological record, much of the debate has been talk and not enough actual testing. However the field is moving towards more empirical research and since 1996, a group meets at Evolang every 2 years to discuss the evolutionary origins of language. This new empiricism may help resolve one of the most popular language debates: whether the first human language consisted of articulated speech or gestures.
Past studies have been done on chimpanzees in order to see if they can learn human language. However results often show poor vocalization skills and much better control and complexity with gestures. A gestural theory of language origin has arisen and suggests that the first human language had gestures and articulated speech came later. Studies have also been done to examine the connection between gestures and speech and concluded there is a link because they share similar regions of the brain.
Another shift has been the study of birds instead of primates. Studying primates seemed reasonable since they are seen as the closest to the human species. However birds began to be studied for their vocal learning abilities that mirrors the language acquisition of humans. A songbird learns to sing essentially the same way a child learns to talk: from the parents. Other parallels have been found between bird song and human language and have brought researchers closer to understanding how they could possibly construct a brain that can do vocal learning.
Here's a link to the article: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/328/5981/969
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