Human language born from ape gestures

(How interesting that this came to my attention, and we were just discussing this here not too long ago...) From Cosmos magazine:

Human language may have evolved from the use of gestures by our ape ancestors, and not just from primitive vocalisations, according to a new study.

"The way they use gestures is extremely variable, especially compared with other forms of communication ... This makes gesture a possible candidate for symbolic communication in our shared ancestor."

Facial expressions and vocalisations, on the other hand, are more stereotypical, and are though to be largely instinctive and reactionary in apes. Gesture appears to be more under conscious voluntary control – much like human language, write the authors.

... speech itself is a kind of gestural communication, made up of gestures of the tongue, larynx and lips. "My guess is that gestural language became more facial and less manual as our ancestors usurped the hands for other activities."