By Patricia Pascual

http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/2008/0311/p13s01-bogn.html

• What Chomsky said (Rumbaugh)• Language is in the genetic makeup of human beings • Only humans have and use language

http://westernstandard.blogs.com/shotgun/2008/10/noam-chomsky-ca.html

NOAM CHOMSKY

• Why Great Apes?• Share 99% of genetic material with YOU… and me.

(Jannedy)• Smart, social, easier to live with than an elephant

http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/changingaging/longevity/

• Gua: 1930s Experiment• Goal: to see if a chimp can learn

language merely by exposure• No formal education

• How: Gua was “adopted” by a human family

• Successful? NO

• Viki: 1950s Experiment • Goal: To prove a chimp could learn language if raised

properly • How: Live with humans and undergo training• Successful? NO

• Koko: 1970s Experiment• Goal: To prove non-human primates have human language

capability• How: Vocal anatomy of gorillas showed they physically lack

capability to speak, so Koko was taught ASL• Successful? YES!

• Project Nim: Nim Chimpsky• Goal: To see if a chimp could use ASL to communicate and

disprove Noam Chomsky’s claim• How: Immerse Nim in an environment where he would use

ASL• Successful? NO

• Then what’s so special about Nim?• His communicative language skills did not develop entirely,

but his social skills did

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90516132

• Language Analogue Project• Goal: To show language ability of

chimps specifically with lexigrams• Lexigrams- symbols that

correspond with objects or ideas (Jannedy)

• Research project used Lana, female chimp, for studies

• How: Trained Lana to communicate in Yerkish, a language designed for primates which includes a keyboard with lexigrams (Great ape)• Successful? YES!

http://www.greatapetrust.org/science/history-of-ape-language/use-of-human-languages-by-captive-great-

apes/

• The Future• Researchers have moved on from trying to teach chimps to learn

human language to studying how they communicate on their own (Adler)

• Issues and Concerns• Is this ethical?• Are they really learning?• What does this mean for humans?

• Further thinking• Why were Viki’s and Nim’s results considered unsuccessful?• Language is more than just a way of transferring information

• Was Chomsky right?

<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90516132>.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/pdxgreen/2008/02/vote.html

• Great Ape Trust of Iowa. Bonobos May Have Greater Linguistic Skills Than Previously Thought. ScienceDaily, 2 Sep. 2008. 6 April 2011.<http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/g/great_ape_language.htm>.

• Adler, Margot. The Chimp That Learned Sign Language. Day to Day from National Public Radio, 28 May 2008. 7 April 2011. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90516132>.

• Rumbaugh, Duane. Use of Human Language by Captive Great Apes. Great Ape Trust, 2005. 6 April 2011. <http://www.greatapetrust.org/science/history-of-ape- language/use-of-human-languages-by-captive-great-apes/>.

• Jannedy, Stefanie. Animal Communication. The Linguistics Department of Ohio State University, 1994. 7 April 2011. <http://www.lcc.gatech.edu/~mcnair/Teaching/3206-S2004/Animal_Communication.htm>.

• Great Ape Language. ScienceDaily. 6 April 2011. <http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/g/great_ape_language.htm>.

• Great ape Language. Wikipedia. 2 March 2011. 6 April 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_ape_language>.