Language in Chimpanzees and Humans
Running head: LANGUAGE IN CHIMPANZEES AND HUMANS
Language in Chimpanzees and Humans Hadeel Gamal Moheb Faculty of Arts, English Department
LANGUAGE IN CHIMPANZEES AND HUMANS 1 Language in Chimpanzees and Humans Why is it hard for chimps to talk? If both humans and chimpanzees share the same genetic code, a chimp should not only have the ability to talk as fluent as a natural human being, but also have the ability to understand a human language. But it is unquestionable that no animal however well-trained can develop a language with the same scope of expression as a human being. On the other hand, no human however uneducated is incapable of acquiring the barest rudiments of a language. Experiments have been made to teach chimps human language, in attempts to either confirm or falsify Chomsky’s innate theory. It suggests that the acquisition of language requires a “language organ” which is only found in humans (Yule, 1985).
First of all a definition of language is needed to differentiate between the human language and other means of communication. Hillix and Rumbaugh (2004) wrote: Language is an agreed-upon system of signals that represent things, events, feelings, ideas, intentions, and actions on the environment or on other organism. The signals must symbolize something beyond themselves and fulfill a useful (pragmatic) function by coordinating the activities of organisms. The meanings of the signals comprising a language are shared, at least in part, by the individual in the group using the language (p. 21).
This definition excludes meaningless imitations of human speech sounds such as those produced by some kinds of parrots. Same is the case “when young chimpanzees produce
LANGUAGE IN CHIMPANZEES AND HUMANS 2
Language in Chimpanzees and Humans Hadeel Gamal Moheb Faculty of Arts, English Department
LANGUAGE IN CHIMPANZEES AND HUMANS 1 Language in Chimpanzees and Humans Why is it hard for chimps to talk? If both humans and chimpanzees share the same genetic code, a chimp should not only have the ability to talk as fluent as a natural human being, but also have the ability to understand a human language. But it is unquestionable that no animal however well-trained can develop a language with the same scope of expression as a human being. On the other hand, no human however uneducated is incapable of acquiring the barest rudiments of a language. Experiments have been made to teach chimps human language, in attempts to either confirm or falsify Chomsky’s innate theory. It suggests that the acquisition of language requires a “language organ” which is only found in humans (Yule, 1985).
First of all a definition of language is needed to differentiate between the human language and other means of communication. Hillix and Rumbaugh (2004) wrote: Language is an agreed-upon system of signals that represent things, events, feelings, ideas, intentions, and actions on the environment or on other organism. The signals must symbolize something beyond themselves and fulfill a useful (pragmatic) function by coordinating the activities of organisms. The meanings of the signals comprising a language are shared, at least in part, by the individual in the group using the language (p. 21).
This definition excludes meaningless imitations of human speech sounds such as those produced by some kinds of parrots. Same is the case “when young chimpanzees produce
LANGUAGE IN CHIMPANZEES AND HUMANS 2