In fairy tales of different nations, animals communicate with each other using words. And how do they actually talk? This question was asked by many ethologists - researchers of animal behavior. Do animals have a language? Of course, watching a herd of antelopes, you can see that several individuals do not graze, but look around alertly. At the slightest danger, they give a sign to their relatives. And the whole herd starts off. Could this alert signal that antelopes have a tongue? Or are just other individuals in the herd reacting to the frightened gesture of the sentries? Scientists decided to trace the verbal signals of the most developed species from the entire animal world - primates, dolphins, whales. In this article, we summarized the experiment on hominid monkeys. These are chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas and other highly developed species. Did people manage to enter into dialogue with them, read below.
First experiences
It is believed that language is that fundamental quality that distinguishes man from the animal world. But are such less voiceless brothers our lesser? It was previously believed that the sounds convey the animal's emotions. So, a dog growls means a threat, barking means scaring away, whining - pain, screeching - a request, etc. Any owner understands his dog to a greater or lesser extent. But sound signals convey more emotion than information. But language is an opportunity for dialogue. Do monkeys exchange information? Observing them, we can say that these animals communicate excellently with each other. If you hide some object so that one individual knows about his whereabouts, then the other monkey, notified first, will find him. But how do they transmit information? Initially, scientists decided that by sounds. And they began to study them. As a result, a dictionary was compiled.
Biased verdict
The first short phrasebook was compiled in 1844 by the French scientist Piercon de Gembloux. It consisted of dozens of short words. But it was not information, but rather emotional signals. Their scientist recorded while watching the South American monkeys.
At the end of the XIX century, a professor from the USA L. Garner went the same way. In the study of sounds he was helped not so long ago by the invented phonograph. The scientist installed the device in a cage with a pair of monkeys. The phonograph recorded how they communicate with each other. Transferred to a single cage, the male was allowed to listen to the female's speech. And he reacted as if he heard information. The sounds made by monkeys are very difficult to transcribe in letters. The recording made by the phonograph allowed Garner to communicate with the animals. The scientist noted that the more social a particular species of monkeys is, the more developed their language is. Nevertheless, the scientist came to the conclusion that the vocabulary of animals is rather scarce. And zoologist Alfred Brem defended the view that animals make sounds, expressing emotions and feelings, and not transmitting information.
Talking monkeys
There were also scientists who went on a dialogue with primates in a different way. Not people should learn the language of monkeys, but vice versa. If some birds can pronounce words, then why not primates? But the process of teaching large apes to the language of people failed. In 1916, W. Furniss taught the orangutan to pronounce two words: cup and dad . But unlike birds, the monkey did not use these terms arbitrarily, but with respect to objects. The scientist noted that the orangutan is best given words in the pronunciation of which the tongue and lips are not involved. In the 50s of the twentieth century, scientists conducted a series of experiments in which a small chimpanzee cub, a female Vicki, was raised with peers of a human breed. And in solving some logical problems, the monkey left far behind the kids. But as for verbal communication, Vicki managed to learn only four words.
How do monkeys communicate with each other?
The successes of the little chimpanzee in logical development forced scientists to reconsider the outdated view that animals are not peculiar to language. In 1966, the Gardner couple, psychologists from the United States, watched a film about Vicki and noticed something that eluded the eyes of zoologists. The chimpanzee, carefully pronouncing the learned words, accompanied them with gestures. Watching the monkeys communicate with each other, the Gardners concluded that it was not sounds that were more important in animal communication. The couple acquired a small chimpanzee named Washo and began to teach her the language of the deaf. They showed her an object and folded their fingers in a gesture, denoting it on Amslena. Washo showed amazing abilities. She not only learned one hundred and sixty words, which she successfully operated in communicating with people. She began to combine terms. For example, seeing a lighter and understanding how it works, she invented a new word-formation: a match bottle.
Speech Training
Inspired by the success of the Gardners, scientists continued experiments with humanoid primates. In 1972, a dozen monkeys were trained at Amslena at the University of Oklahoma. The experiments were carried out with the most social species - gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos. Monkeys showed amazing results. The male bonobo Kanzi freely operated with more than 160 words (and he recognized more than three thousand by ear). He became famous also for the fact that he manufactured tools. Once he wanted to open the door separating him from the cage of his girlfriend, the dwarf chimpanzee Tamuli. But the key was not with researcher S. Savage Rambo. She said: “Tamuli has the key. May she give it to me and I will open the door. ” Kanzi stared at Tamula and made a few sounds. After that, the dwarf chimpanzee gave the key to the researcher. Observing how the monkeys communicate with each other, we can conclude that they use facial expressions, gestures and sound signals at the same time.
Smart views
Obviously, only the structure of the throat apparatus prevents humanoid primates from mastering the words of human speech. But this is not at all an indicator that they do not have a language, or that their brain cannot accommodate some of the logical structures inherent in people's consciousness. Humanoid primates are able to build sentences and create verbal neoplasms. Looking at how the monkeys communicate with each other, it is clear that they have a sense of humor. So, the gorilla Coco, seeing a bald man, said: "Barefoot head." Naturally, the monkeys catch changes in the meaning of the sentence from the rearrangement of words ("I feed you" and "You feed me"). Particularly famous was the female species of bonobo, which taught her cub the sign language, independently, without human intervention.
IQ level
It is unreasonable to associate a degree of intellectual development with a vocabulary of an individual. After all, mankind has developed many tests and tasks to determine the level of IQ. As soon as computers appeared, scientists began to conduct experiments in order to identify how monkeys talk using the keyboard and mouse. The bonobo male Kanzi already mentioned by us has completely mastered the new technology. Lexigrams (geometric signs) were applied to the keyboard. From his rich vocabulary, Kansi operated with five hundred such symbols. According to tests, the most developed species is the Bonobi pygmy chimpanzee. Its level corresponds to a child at the age of three years. Almost as smart are gorillas. Recall Coco, mastered about a thousand characters.
Why is there a halt in development?
Psychologists who observe how the monkeys communicate, conclude that in the behavioral plane these animals remain children. They like to play and play. In matters of obtaining food, monkeys show considerable ingenuity and even ingenuity, leaving behind two or three year old children. But in the pursuit of knowledge, the children of the human race are more zealous. And this is fundamental to the overall development of the individual. Kids grow up, and with them the level of their IQ. And primates remain children for life.
Why is the language of monkeys so meager?
As you can see, primates have significant potential in order to master speech. But why, in communicating with each other, do they use only a small combination of sounds and gestures? Scientists conclude that at the level of development of their society, communication does not require more. A sign of impending danger, reports of nearby food, a call to get together or move to another territory - that's the whole set of information exchange. However, there are other opinions. A person simply does not yet fully understand the level of communication of primates. If you carefully study the language of monkeys, you can find the key to understanding it.