???? Chimpanzees hold the key to human language

2023-11-09 07:00:04

The ability to produce sounds with different functions is fundamental to language learning. However, it has long been accepted that non-human primates do not share this skill.

Human infants make sounds with specific functions. For example, screaming, laughing and crying correspond to specific emotions. Freer sounds, such as babbling, are used more flexibly. Researchers have found that chimpanzees, from a young age, show similar vocal flexibility, suggesting that the foundations of language are rooted in our evolutionary heritage. Dr. Derry Taylor, of the University of Portsmouth, explains that while all living things communicate, only humans use language. The origin of this specificity remains a mystery. The study, published in iScience, is one of the first systematic analyzes of young chimpanzees’ vocal production and function.

A team from the University of Portsmouth, the University of Neuchâtel (The University of Neuchâtel is a public university located in…) and the University of Clermont Auvergne filmed 768 vocalizations in 28 young chimpanzees in a sanctuary ( In religious anthropology a sanctuary (from sanctus, “sacred”) is…) in Zambia. These include growls, whines, laughs, screams, “hoos,” barks, squeals, and “pant-hoots.”

Credit: iScience

Analysis of the sounds showed that, like human infants, chimpanzees make calls reflecting different affective states—positive, neutral, or negative—accompanied by various facial expressions and movements. These types of calls, particularly grunts, elicited distinct responses from social partners, demonstrating a clear parallel with research on human infants.

Marina Davila-Ross, associate professor of comparative psychology at the University of Portsmouth, points out that many studies comparing great apes to human children have sought to discuss differences in language development between the two species. The results highlight the need for continued comparative studies to better understand the evolutionary origins of language.

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