Language In Project Nim

He sees them coming and backs away until the cold metal bars scrap against his back. He begins to scream. He notices his mother’s grip begin to weaken. He is grabbed and carried away. He is Nim, a chimpanzee who has been just been taken from his mother, Carolyn. Nim was the seventh child Carolyn has had. He was removed from her for a research project led by Professor Herbe Terrace. This project featured a radical experiment aimed to teach a chimpanzee sign language. Although, the documentary Project Nim directed by James Marsh has an objective to present the progress and results of this experiment, it also carries a purpose to inform the viewer on a message regarding the components of and differences between communication and language. This paper will determine who the intended audience is, examine the strategies Marsh uses to incorporates ethos, pathos and logos to convey intended message and his effectiveness at reaching said audience. The decision made by BBC Films to produce Project Nim with two purposes, allows Marsh
As discussed above, Marsh informs the viewer that language requires consistent structure that can be manipulated however, communication does not. This message that Marsh conveys can be compared to the message of the book Babel 17 by Samuel Delany. Similar to this documentary, Babel-17 explores the differences between language and communication. In this book, Delany uses a variety of writing techniques to expose the difference between a code and language. The difference between language and code as described in this book is that code has one format to communicate an outcome while, language follows a structure with multiple pathways to communicate an idea or message. It is notable that both Marsh and Delany use ethos, pathos and logos in similar ways and equally value each aspect to their respected text in order to disclose this message to the