Primates and Their use of Language         1
Primates and Their use of Language
Introduction to Psychology
Psy 101
December 1, 2008
Primates and Their use of Language         2
Primates and Their use of Language
During the
past several decades, different researchers have demonstrated that great apes
including chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans, resemble humans in language
abilities more than had previously been thought possible. The extent, to which that resemblance
extends, however, has been the arguing point giving rise to much
controversy. While most researchers
agree that the primates have successfully acquired sizeable vocabularies in
American Sign Language and in different artificial languages, they have still
drawn quite different conclusions regarding the following questions:
1. To what degree have primates spontaneously
used language?
2. How creative are primates in their use of
language?
3. Are primates capable of creating sentences?
4. What are the conclusions of the studies
regarding primates and their use of language?
To What Degree Have Primates
Spontaneously Used Language?
….
