René Descartes as well as many other philosophers. I will also be studying Noam Chomsky’s theories on human language structure and generative grammar that oppose the ideas of various philosophers. Included within this topic I will research Washoe and Nim Chimsky, chimpanzees who were the primary focus of studies of animal language acquisition. The aim of this essay is to see if there is a relationship between human language and animal communication, based on evidence and theories that I will be researching
Teaching Sign Language to a Chimpanzee The study by the Gardner's educated psychologists about how they should conduct their studies. Also through negative methodology the study showed the importance of sustaining validity in a study. Many aspects of the study can be replicated in order to increase validity of a study, and also many considerations are highlighted through the Gardners' study. According to Gardner and Gardner, 'the results of project Washoe presented the first serious
Chimpanzees' Ability to Use Language in a Rudimentary Way Many researchers wonder if chimpanzees are really able to use language in a rudimentary way, or if it is just created by operant conditioning. Psychologists realized, as far back as 60 years ago, that chimps would never be able to learn spoken language. They do not have the specialized tongue, lips, teeth, facial muscles, and palate that humans do to make the vast array of speech sounds that humans do. Researchers have instead tried
Project Nim is a documentary that explains an experiment that took place in the 1970s in an attempt to teach a chimp who was named Nim Chimpsky American Sign Language (ASL). This project set out to analyze whether chimpanzees like Nim had the ability to use language in such a way that indicated that they understood it at a similar level of humans (Terrace book pg 31). Although the researcher, Herbert Terrace, who initiated this experimental investigation concluded that Nim's use of sign language
Are Apes Capable Of Using The Language? Scientists have shown that such mammals as chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans are capable of learning and using ASL (American Sign Language) and several artificial languages like, for example, «Yerkish.» However, there is a controversy in how far that ability of great apes spans. There are two different groups of researchers, experimenting with language and apes, those who are in favor of a «traditional» approach, and those who prefer a new, «modern»
Language is commonly held to be the province of humans, but other inhabitants of earth possess their own forms of communication. Birds, dolphins, and whales are some of those that have a language. Primates also use vocal communication with each other. Their utterances have varied uses and volumes, with each primate’s voice being distinct just as human voices are. These unique calls have given researchers insight into the social workings of primate groups. The very fact that primates have a language