A study examining videos of chimpanzees saying words like “mama” and “cup” has revealed that the closest ancestors of humans may have had better speaking abilities than previously thought.
It has been widely accepted that language is an inherent ability of humans. Among all animal species on Earth, only humans possess this unique capability; we not only create distinct words to convey meaning but also apply those words in social situations and alter their implications in different contexts.
Currently, researchers are analyzing videos to study the language capabilities of chimpanzees, and a new study is demonstrating that chimpanzees may be able to communicate much more effectively than initially believed.
With further research, this discovery could redefine our understanding of the evolution of human language and the speaking abilities of great apes.
Chimpanzees can communicate much better than we think.
Inside the Unique Speaking Ability of Humans
Today, experts are still uncertain about when human language evolved. Estimates range from as far back as 300,000 years ago to as recently as 50,000 years ago. However, it is widely accepted that humans are the only animal species with phonetic capabilities and the ability to learn new pronunciations.
For many years, researchers have attempted to test language abilities in other animal species, including sperm whales, which communicate using a complex “alphabet” of rapid calls.
Among these studies, the most effective experiments have taken place with our closest relatives, the great apes. Perhaps the most famous example is Koko, the gorilla taught to use sign language. In an experiment conducted in 2023, researchers discovered that chimpanzees could use specific syntax and sounds to express unique ideas about their environment.
If you want to understand the evolution of language, chimpanzees are a promising species.
However, scientists emphasize that, aside from humans, no known animal species possesses the ability to communicate using “language” in nature. Instead, animals interact using sounds, gestures, and other distinct visual displays. These interactions are often highly emotional and innate, making them resemble a system of codes rather than a true language that can be modified in different social contexts.
For this reason, researchers have long believed that great apes lack the necessary neural skills or vocal cord control required for language development.
As our closest relatives, chimpanzees have proven to be an incredibly promising species for researchers wanting to understand the evolution of language. A recent study by language experts and psychologists from Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland has now revealed for the first time that chimpanzees can indeed communicate like humans.
Old Videos of Chimpanzees Talking Astonish Researchers
Recently, a group of researchers led by Axel G. Ekström aimed to delve deeper into the question of whether our closest relatives have the capability to develop language.
The research team began by reviewing three videos of captive chimpanzees that appeared to utter words to their caregivers. The first video featured a chimpanzee named Renata and her caregiver in Italy in 1962. In the video, Renata was recorded saying the word “mama” whenever the trainer touched her chin.
The second video showed Johnny, a chimpanzee from the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor, Florida, in the mid-2000s. In the clip, Johnny called out “mama” when tempted with a red Twizzler candy.
Using sounds from the clips, researchers compared the vocal phonetics of the two chimpanzees with that of a man, concluding that chimpanzees have the ability to produce the syllabic structures necessary for spoken language.
But the researchers did not stop there. According to the study, scientists asked participants to transcribe the voices of both the chimpanzee and a patient with Parkinson’s disease, a condition often accompanied by speech disorders. Participants were not informed about whose voice they were hearing in each clip. The results showed that participants consistently identified the chimpanzee’s voice as expressing the word “mama.”
This research demonstrates that the speaking ability of chimpanzees has been severely underestimated and sheds light on how humans evolved to develop language.
The researchers suggest that the common ancestor of humans and great apes likely had similar speaking abilities, and both chimpanzees and humans have retained this capability. This also challenges the long-held belief that language development requires evolutionary changes in brain function that chimpanzees and other great apes have not undergone.
“The vocal production ability of great apes has been underestimated,” the researchers explain. “Chimpanzees possess the neural building blocks necessary for speech. Our data adds to this picture: chimpanzees may be capable of producing the ‘first word’ thought to be part of spoken language.”
