Ape gestures and language evolution
Amy S. Pollick, and Frans B. M. de Waal*
Proc. National Academy of Sciences | vol. 104 | no. 19 | 8184-8189
May 8, 2007
Living Links, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954
North Gatewood Road, Atlanta, GA 30329
Contributed by Frans B. M. de Waal, March 20, 2007 (received for review
January 28, 2007)
*To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
The natural communication of apes may hold clues about language origins,
especially because apes frequently gesture with limbs and hands, a mode of
communication thought to have been the starting point of human language
evolution. The present study aimed to contrast brachiomanual gestures with
orofacial movements and vocalizations in the natural communication of our
closest primate relatives, bonobos (Pan paniscus) and chimpanzees (Pan
troglodytes). We tested whether gesture is the more flexible form of
communication by measuring the strength of association between signals and
specific behavioral contexts, comparing groups of both the same and different
ape species. Subjects were two captive bonobo groups, a total of 13
individuals, and two captive chimpanzee groups, a total of 34 individuals. The
study distinguished 31 manual gestures and 18 facial/vocal signals. It was
found that homologous facial/vocal displays were used very similarly by both
ape species, yet the same di!
d not apply to gestures. Both within and between species gesture usage varied
enormously. Moreover, bonobos showed greater flexibility in this regard than
chimpanzees and were also the only species in which multimodal communication
(i.e., combinations of gestures and facial/vocal signals) added to behavioral
impact on the recipient.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Dr. Alan McElligott
The School of Biology
Biology Building
The University of Nottingham
University Park
Nottingham NG7 2RD
UK
Tel + 44 (0) 115 951 3231
Fax + 44 (0) 115 951 3251
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/biology/
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
|