Nonhuman Primate Communication

     Language, whether written or spoken is our primary means of communication as well as mode of cultural transmission.  Language is based on learned associations between words and the things they stand for.

     Only humans speak. No other animal has a communication system approaching the complexity of that of humans. Other nonhuman primates communicate through call systems which consist of a limited number of sounds that are only produced under certain environmental stimuli such as food. However these sounds are automatic and can't be combined. For example if food and danger are encountered at the same time they can't combine the two calls to communicate the same thing.

     Many believe that culture is only characteristic of humans, primarily due to language. However chimpanzees and gorillas definitely fall into that gray area. (This isn't to say that chimpanzees and gorillas are on the same level of cultural complexity as humans or that humans evolved from them...an argument I have no desire in starting on here. I simply want to point how interesting and smart chimpanzees and gorillas are. They aren't on the same level as humans however they are on a higher cultural and intelligence level than other animals.)

     Several apes have learned to converse with people through means other than speech such as ASL (American Sign Language). The first chimpanzee to learn ASL was Washoe and the second was Lucy. Both were raised by humans and both exhibited several human traits in their communication such as swearing, joking, telling lies and trying to teach language to others. For example Fouts (a researcher) arrived at Lucy's place and found a pile of excrement on the floor. When he asked her about it she replied "dirty, dirty", her expression for poop. When Fouts asked whose it was Lucy blamed it on Fouts's coworker Sue and later on him.

     Something I found very interesting was a reply to a reporter by Koko, a gorilla. When asked whether she was a person or an animal, Koko chose neither and replied : "fine animal gorilla". Koko knew she wasn't human but also that she wasn't simply an animal. Her intelligence was greater as well as her cultural ability.

     Many may wonder why then, if chimpanzees and gorillas are so smart, do they not have language in the wild? The answer is. they lack the mutated form of a  gene known as FOXP2. This mutated form allows humans to speak. Those who have the nonspeech version of the gene can't make the fine tongue and lip movements necessary for speech. A British family known as KE had a severe speech disorder. They had the nonspeech version of the gene and couldn't even talk to each other.

     Chimpanzees and gorillas could have an even more complex culture if they had the mutated form of FOXP2 like we do. And again, this isn't an argument in favor of evolution or any big debate, simply a few interesting facts and ideas that I hope you guys will find interesting.