Research has shown that chimpanzees utilize a wide variety of gestures to communicate with one another and that the meanings of these gestures are often understood by people with no training in chimpanzee behavior, suggesting the possibility of a universal ape vocabulary.
As Dr. Catherine Hobaiter states, “They target them to a specific recipient, and they do that with a specific goal in mind. Several gestures are very similar to those of humans: having your palm up is a begging gesture and pushing away with your hand means “go away,” she says.
With all due respect to Dr. Hobatier, I think she misses some of the more subtle nuances in each of these examples, so allow me (and Mave and Dora) so translate further:
Mave: I love you Dora. You know, I don’t say that enough. I love you. And I would do anything for you.
Dora: Gee, thanks Mave.
Mave: Would you do anything for me?
Dora: I guess so, sure.
Mave Can I have your fennel, then?
Dora: Get lost! You already had one!
Mave. But I love you.
Dora: I know, thanks.
Mave: Anytime, friend. So, about that fennel…
Dora. I’m outta here…
Ending
-“Sorry, I gotta go see what Terry wants.”
JB, this exchange, and Dora’s hand gesture, was an exact replica of when John Oliver interviewed Dr Goodall :laughing:
Ha! Ha! No fooling little Dora. How sweet and intelligent she is……maybe friends with you Mave, but that doesn’t mean I’ll give you my fennel.
Well you don’t need to be proficient in ASL to work that gesture out. It’s like Dora is telling Mave ” yes, we are best buddies but this is MY fennel”. Mind you maybe Dora could’ve given Mave a tiny piece of her largesse?
Out. Loud. Laugh! Priceless.
I’m still laughing. Good for her!
You can’t blame a gal for trying! Nice try Mave. Dora was speaking in a universal language. “Bug off!” “No way!” So funny.
Thanks for all the links included in your post. In the second link there was a comment that humans use language to even talk to themselves. This made me think of Washoe signing to herself (in the book Next Of Kin). Do you ever see any of the chimps “talking to themselves” be it sounds or gestures?
I know Tatu frequently signs to herself. I think Foxie’s imaginative play with her dolls is similar, although not quite the same. There is definitely an element of communication there, I think. Signing to oneslef seems to be common for great apes that know any degree of sign language. Noelle at Center for Great Apes signs to herself, too!
I remember reading that Washoe would sign to herself, “Good, Good Me.’. I forget if she signed this after she drank that bottle of Mr. Clean, but, hey, Roger Fouts’ attention was (for a few seconds) distracted. Anyway, bith Washoe and Prof. Fouts continued on in their simian sign careers…
That’s really interesting! Funny, but I, too, have always puctured Foxie with some hilarious inner thoughts. And Jamie, too, but I almost always imagine her inner thoughts as being muttering to herself about what idiots we humans are
That’s a really good question. Outside of chimps that have learned ASL, I can’t immediately think of an example. Regarding private speech in humans, I believe there is some evidence to suggest that it actually facilitates a “conversation” within the brain, i.e., a speech-producing region can say the words aloud, and then a language comprehension region can recieve it, and this essentially allows a conversation to take place between brain regions which aids in cognition. Whether this could be true for the gestures and vocalizations of chimpanzees is a very interesting question to ponder!
Thank you, J.B., for that explanation. I somehow imagine Burrito gesturing to himself or making excitable noises to himself while he is up to his usual shenanigans and goofballing! And I could imagine Jamie “talking to herself” in her head. Same goes for scheming Honey B.
With my Washoe example, I was specifically thinking of Washoe when she was young and learning to be “potty trained”, of all things. There is a passage in the book where Washoe is outside with Roger and she realizes she has to go to the potty. She stops what she is doing and runs as fast as she can towards the house, all the time signing “Hurry” “Hurry” over and over again. She makes it on time. Keep in mind she needed time to pull down her clothes so she could go to the bathroom. When I first read that passage, I cried. First, I felt sorry for her wearing human clothes and being trained to do something so unnatural but mostly, from my anthropomorphic perspective, I believed she was talking to herself. As if that didn’t move me beyond words, Wo behaved just like a human in that one little instant. First, she had the forethought to know the bathroom was far away and to get there she needed to plan (her timing), and she needed to “hurry” to get there on time. That’s a mental puzzle many a small child would fail. And yet, young Washoe seemed to figure it out, talk it through with herself, use signs that were exactly correct for the situation, and she succeed, even though the task went totally against her nature. That’s my take and sticking to it.
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I guess the question is, can you plan for the future without a conversation in your head to do so?
A other good question…
But I have seen or heard that same scenario played out with my nieces and nephews and now their kids. You brough back s9me fabulous memories
Given Rayne’s distinguished parentage, I’ve long heen curious to know if she ever communicates in sign language? Oh, the rales she could tell…