New observation of ‘peeping’ sounds made by humankind’s closest living relative suggest a possible evolutionary origin for human language The bonobo or pygmy chimpanzee – humankind’s closest living relative – has mastered the human art of babytalk. That is,it makes a range of sounds that must be interpreted in context. It may not be language, but it parallels those sounds that human infants develop to communicate before they learn to consume words, and according to new research by Zanna Clay,a psychologist at the University of Birmingham.
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Source: theguardian.com