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Talk to the hand
A study of chimpanzees and bonobos brings us closer to understanding how language may have begun to develop: gestures, apparently, came first.
Half of the gestures Dr Pollick and Dr de Waal regularly observed seemed to have completely different meanings in the two species. Moreover, even within a single group, the meaning of a gesture could vary with context, almost as tone of voice can vary the meaning of a human's spoken word. If a chimpanzee is involved in a fight, for example, "reach out side" means he is requesting support. If he makes this gesture to an acquaintance who is eating, he is asking to share the meal. (SUZANNE)
May 4, 2007
