Can Chimpanzees and Apes talk?

But there are people out there that believe that if true, the ability to learn and use language, the last barrier that seperates humans beings from our nonhuman primate relatives, has fallen away. Who knows what could happen next if all apes, chimpanzees, and gorillas could communicate through language? The answer is nothing. It should be thought of as wonderful and extremely interesting. No one says that a child first learning how to talk can not communicate through language. For example, we saw Kanzi being tested by other scientists and psychologists, not his trainer, and he was able to correctly match different objects with different signs and was able to perform tasks that involved a understanding and knowledge of the words that were being used. Homo Sapiens are the only primates that have the cognitive ability to master language completely. It would be the same if people were worried about children being about to learn language and communicate. I do not understand why people are not excited by the discovery that primates are able to communicate and learn language.

Other scientists and people think that chimpanzees, gorillas, and apes are able to make and gesture sign as if they were communicating with people, but that they were simply trying to be rewarded and not fully understanding the meanings of the words that they used. He was able to follow directions and fulfill requests. Besides being able to understand what symbols went with what objects, Kanzi was able to understand spoken words and phrases. But in Washoe’s instance she uses American Sign Language.

Even though there is much debate and contraversy whether or not chimpanzees, apes, and gorillas are able to communicate through language, I believe that they are able to communicate through symbols, sign language, and other means. I also believe that to some extent lesser primates do understand the meaning of some words.