title: Language evolution: syntax before phonology?
abstract: Phonology and syntax represent two layers of sound combination central to language's expressive power. Comparative animal studies represent one approach to understand the origins of these combinatorial layers. Traditionally, phonology, where meaningless sounds form words, has been considered a simpler combination than syntax, and thus should be more common in animals. A linguistically informed review of animal call sequences demonstrates that phonology in animal vocal systems is rare, whereas syntax is more widespread. In the light of this and the absence of phonology in some languages, we hypothesize that syntax, present in all languages, evolved before phonology.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland katie.collier@ieu.uzh.ch.
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Collier
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative Linguistics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Balthasar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bickel
authors.affiliation: Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Carel P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: van Schaik
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Marta B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Manser
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Simon W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Townsend
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001717:Birds / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008322:Mammals / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: animal communication; comparative approach; evolution; human language; phonology; syntax