Innate Primates

Innate Language and Non-Human Primates

Language is a form of communication and can be portrayed in many different ways not just vocalization, this is shown by those that use sign language rather than vocalization; these humans still have complex language but they lack the necessary organs or capabilities to produce all of the sounds needed for vocal language; similarly, some non-human primates use different interactions as language not just production and combinations of sounds. Non-human primates do not have the ability to vocalize the way humans do because they lack vocal cords, control of the necessary vocalization, and other speech organs, but that does not mean that they cannot effectively communicate through language with other non-human

Janni Pederson with the Great Ape Trust of Iowa (2008) believes that language is more than vocalization of information and consists of a combination of interactions, and that is why they possess their own language and can learn new languages with great effort. Pederson (2008) found that language with non-human primates and humans can consist of turn taking, negotiation, pauses, repetition, and sharing of information through use of lexi-grams; not just vocalization. Pederson (2008) noticed that bonobo monkeys were capable of understanding words and conversations humans had and then reacting with this combination of interactions in order to get what they wanted from the humans interacting with them and caring for them. Understanding words being spoken is an important skill found in the bonobo monkeys, but so was the use of these other components of communicating in order to make up a system of language to effectively obtain the results wanted in response to what was being said by the humans, despite the actual inability of the bonobo monkeys to produce human words. Some research has found that while non-human primates may not be able to control vocalization well enough to produce human words, they are still capable of producing certain taught sounds in response to reward encouragement. Some chimpanzees can quickly learn to create

The production vocal learning is that of learning to produce new sounds vocally from learned experience. The usage vocal learning is that of learning to use already known vocalizations in new ways or using innate vocalizations. The auditory learning is that of learning to understand, but not produce it, a new vocalization and react in accordance to experience with the sound. Different studies of non-human primates over the years have shown proof that some non-human primates are capable of all three types of learning with language, but to what depths the ability to learn goes has not been completely researched. Petkov and Jarvis (2012) believe that a portion of research in this area is questionable because of conflicting results across different studies, but that if research studies are replicated that this might show more true results in the future. Research and studies can always be attempted again, with new information being applied in order to make the study even better than previously