TY - JOUR
T1 - Nonhuman primates do declare! A comparison of declarative symbol and gesture use in two children, two bonobos, and a chimpanzee
AU - Lyn, Heidi
AU - Greenfield, Patricia M.
AU - Savage-Rumbaugh, Sue
AU - Gillespie-Lynch, Kristen
AU - Hopkins, William D.
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding for this study was provided by NIH Grant HD-56232 and HD-38105 . Database preparation for the child data was supported by a grant from the Leakey Foundation to Patricia Greenfield and Heidi Lyn and by Summer Research Mentorships from UCLA Graduate Division to Kristen Gillespie-Lynch. Child data collection was supported by the Harvard Center for Cognitive Studies. Collection of the original ape data was supported by NICHD Grant #06016 to the Language Research Center and National Center for Research Resources #RR-00165 to the Yerkes National Primate Research Center.
PY - 2011/1
Y1 - 2011/1
N2 - While numerous publications have shown that apes can learn some aspects of human language, one frequently cited difference between humans and apes is the relative infrequency of declaratives (comments and statements) as opposed to imperatives (requests) in ape symbol use. This paper describes the use of declaratives in three language-competent apes and two children. The apes produced a lower proportion of spontaneous declaratives than did the children. However, both groups used declaratives to name objects, to interact and negotiate, and to make comments about other individuals. Both apes and children also made comments about past and future events. However, showing/offering/giving, attention getting, and comments on possession were declarative types made by the children but rarely by the apes.
AB - While numerous publications have shown that apes can learn some aspects of human language, one frequently cited difference between humans and apes is the relative infrequency of declaratives (comments and statements) as opposed to imperatives (requests) in ape symbol use. This paper describes the use of declaratives in three language-competent apes and two children. The apes produced a lower proportion of spontaneous declaratives than did the children. However, both groups used declaratives to name objects, to interact and negotiate, and to make comments about other individuals. Both apes and children also made comments about past and future events. However, showing/offering/giving, attention getting, and comments on possession were declarative types made by the children but rarely by the apes.
KW - Bonobo
KW - Chimpanzee
KW - Comparative
KW - Declarative communication
KW - Evolution of language
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U2 - 10.1016/j.langcom.2010.11.001
DO - 10.1016/j.langcom.2010.11.001
M3 - Article
C2 - 21516208
AN - SCOPUS:79952043063
SN - 0271-5309
VL - 31
SP - 63
EP - 74
JO - Language and Communication
JF - Language and Communication
IS - 1
ER -