I have a theory that song used to communicate emotional states precedes and probably evolved into language as we think of it.
If you haven't seen it, you might enjoy Benn Jordan's video of "saving" a PNG to a bird:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCQCP-5g5bo
(Besides the hook-y title, some interesting info on the acoustics of bird songs with some cross-over into tech.)