We humans once thought we were special because we had language, but animals of other species communicate with each other in many different ways. It may be that language of words and phrases and syntax isn't unique to humans, either. Chimpanzees talk to each other all the time, and we may be just a little closer to understanding what they are saying. Scientists have collected many sounds they make, such as "alarm-huus" when they are surprised or detect a danger and “waa-barks” which means something like "Come here."
A new study published in Nature Communications found that chimps combine such sounds into phrases that mean something completely different from the sounds when used alone. Combining an "alarm-huu" with a “waa-bark” apparently means "snake." That makes sense, as in saying "Come here, you're in danger," but the combination has the added meaning of a very specific danger to chimps. That's the kernel of how syntax develops. Read more about how the researchers determined this meaning at Boing Boing.
(Image credit: Frank Schwichtenberg/CC BY-SA 4.0)
