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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
Chimpanzee Alarm Call Production Meets Key Criteria for Intentionality
PLoS ONE, Volume 8, No. 10, Article e76674, Year 2013
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Description
Determining the intentionality of primate communication is critical to understanding the evolution of human language. Although intentional signalling has been claimed for some great ape gestural signals, comparable evidence is currently lacking for their vocal signals. We presented wild chimpanzees with a python model and found that two of three alarm call types exhibited characteristics previously used to argue for intentionality in gestural communication. These alarm calls were: (i) socially directed and given to the arrival of friends, (ii) associated with visual monitoring of the audience and gaze alternations, and (iii) goal directed, as calling only stopped when recipients were safe from the predator. Our results demonstrate that certain vocalisations of our closest living relatives qualify as intentional signals, in a directly comparable way to many great ape gestures. We conclude that our results undermine a central argument of gestural theories of language evolution and instead support a multimodal origin of human language. © 2013 Schel et al.
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Authors & Co-Authors
Schel, Anne Marijke
United Kingdom, York
University of York
Uganda, Masindi
Budongo Conservation Field Station
Townsend, Simon William
Switzerland, Zurich
Universität Zürich
MacHanda, Zarin P.
United States, Cambridge
Harvard University
Zuberbühler, Klaus
Uganda, Masindi
Budongo Conservation Field Station
Switzerland, Neuchatel
Université de Neuchâtel
United Kingdom, St Andrews
University of st Andrews
Slocombe, Katie Elizabeth
United Kingdom, York
University of York
Statistics
Citations: 245
Authors: 5
Affiliations: 6
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1371/journal.pone.0076674
e-ISSN:
19326203