Comprehension skills of language-competent and nonlanguage-competent apes

The ability of apes (bonobos & chimpanzees) to comprehend both words & word order in English without explicit training & practice depends on their early language experiences (Savage-Rumbaugh et al, 1986). Differential development of language comprehension was studied over a 6-month perio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Language & communication 1997-10, Vol.17 (4), p.301-317
Main Authors: Williams, S.L., Brakke, K.E., Savage-Rumbaugh, E.S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal cognition
Animal communication
Monkeys & apes
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Summary:The ability of apes (bonobos & chimpanzees) to comprehend both words & word order in English without explicit training & practice depends on their early language experiences (Savage-Rumbaugh et al, 1986). Differential development of language comprehension was studied over a 6-month period in two sibling bonobos, Panbanisha & Tamuli (aged 5.5 & 4.0, respectively, at study onset). Panbanisha had been exposed to a linguistically rich environment (spoken English & a visual symbol-keyboard system) from 7 weeks of age; Tamuli had been raised by her mother to age 3.5 years, when daily exposure to speech & symbols began. The bonobos were videotaped responding to 145 prompt sentences involving some combination of actions, objects, recipients, & locations. Panbanisha responded correctly to 77% & incorrectly to none. Tamuli responded correctly to 6% & incorrectly to 63%. Other differences in behavior, including attention-focusing, were equally striking. The differences are attributed to Panbanisha's richer early exposure to language. 8 Tables, 1 Figure, 46 References. L. Lagerquist
ISSN:0271-5309
1873-3395
DOI:10.1016/S0271-5309(97)00012-8