Primate Communication

All species of living things have developed some sort of communications system regardless of how primitive it may appear to be however only the human animal has managed to devise prearranged meanings to their communications signals. Although, human beings may be adapt at communications we have also discovered that animals tend to communicate amongst themselves in some form or other. Birds let forth specific sounds to signify that you are in their territory or to initiate a mating ritual. Various species of ants tend to emit specific odors as warnings to invaders approaching their location. Body movement is yet another means of communications as we can see with the honeybee.We are reminded that the honeybee can reveal to the other members of the hive where the nectar is located. Science has shown us that a solo bee performs a ritual dance accompanied by sounds to relay the necessary information to its fellow bees. Often time a researcher and especially the lay person feel that the human species is the only one capable of communications. Like the familiar bee dance which conveys information other non-human species perform similar actions.Technically communications is the manner by which information is transmitted from one organism to another by way of the nervous system. Thus theoretically, species tend to communicate according to that information which they are sending. The bee in our example perceives the food sources location and it has evolved its own ability to effectively share this information with its hive members. It stands to reason that the more evolved the nervous systems is than the more complex the means of communication will be. In this sample of the tiny bee and its dancing routine, it would appear that each aspect associated with the bees dance contains a specific meaning. Limited as it may be with merely relating direction, distance and type offood it is still a means of communication.Sounds within a language are often capable of being linked to one meaning in particular. These are culturally agreed upon symbols such as is found with the African Tswana people who refer toone specific species of nut-bearing tree as mongongo. Similarly the English adaption is known by the same word; however, we are told that the San people call the same tree gxa according to the accepted words within the San culture.No creature is born knowing their cultural language therefore each must be learned. Several basic concepts are generally accepted when evaluating languages. First, a languages utilizes abstract symbols which in turn allow people to converse about abstract concepts. Second, languages are generally passed from one generation to the next by cultural sharing and not by genetic make-up. Do not be mistaken, as there is a biological aspect associated with language even though it is not genetic. Anatomy plays a major role in the ability to speak and produce effective words. These anatomical requirements are primarily seen in the human species. No animals have anything which remotely resembles a 'voice box'. These physical components for voicecommunications usually consist of the larynx, subglottal system and the supralaryngeal vocal tract by which we find no other animals anatomically equipped or capable of speaking in the manner for which people converse. We are often told that communication via speech remainsuniquely reserved for humans. What generally differentiates us from other animals is our ability to talk. To date we have discovered no non-human type of languages even though many animals employ sounds in order to communicate. There is however a great difference between the meow of a cat and the moo of a cow as opposed toa human making a speech before congress.We are taught that most communication systems relating to nonhumans are viewed as closed systems where various calls or signs have specificmeanings. Some authorities suggest that such closed systems limit the species ability to generatemeaningful communications. Primates usually spend their entire lives in tight knitted societies where they frequently communicate by means of touching, smelling, vocalizations, gestures or evenvisual and facial expressions. These means of communication convey their state of mind and serve as clues to how they will act in the moments following such acts. Frequently, the use of body language is employed to emphasize a point. Chimpanzees are representative of this with their repertoire of calls, facial expressions or gestures however we frequently find that these outbursts usually express emotions such as aggression, excitement, fear or sexual stimulation. All primates including humans tend to use threatening gestures, offensive stares as well as special poses intending to intimidate others. Actions such as this are usually successful to prevent physical fighting among non-primates however with humans it is unpredictable. Physicalviolence is usually rare among the non-human primates. Relative to these symbolic gestures by primates we find that they do not provide names for things or combine calls to create new meanings. Human's as opposed to non-human species base their language on open communication which can be readily manipulated in order to create new words when necessary.In the past, several researchers have attempted to teach chimpanzees to speak however these feeble attempts were doomed to failure mainly because of the vast differences within the vocal tracts and facial and tongue muscles of the two species. Researchers have concluded that there are several essential aspects of the human species which allow us to express ourselves verbally. In essence our brain is designed to recognize symbols and to process what it conceives. With this ability we can not only recognize a variety of words but in addition we can formulate ideas relating to those words. Unlike the non-human species our physical anatomy permits us to communicate verbally. Lastly, the process must be defined as filling a need. Man at some point in time needed tocommunicate with his peers in order to survive.As I relate the experiences of Beatrix and Allen Gardner and their research with the young chimp named Washoe I am reminded of the 1995 movie Congo where Dr. Peter Elliott and his assistant Richard teach human communications to a gorilla named Amy. Using a special backpack andglove Amy's sign language is quickly translated to a digitized voice for all to hear. After considerable debate Peter decides to return Amy to the jungles of Africa. I was very impressed with the identification of Amy and her use of sign languageto convey her thoughts. Throughout the movie I wondered if such actions were actually valid and if they could be duplicated. As they often say, truth is stranger than fiction and after reading about theGardner's experiences with their chimp I will have to do further research and reading.Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Joseph_Parish/24208