Teaching ASL to Gorillas and Chimps
             Have you ever considered the possibility that the next conversation that you hold in sign language may be with someone that's not quite human? Probably not, but it is possible. Ever since the late 60s and early 70s both chimpanzees and gorillas have been part of a study in which they are taught a modified form of American Sign Language as a means of communication. Although the studies were very similar in purpose and content, they were actually totally separate, conducted by different people at different times.
             It all began with the start of Washoe the chimpanzee's training in ASL in 1967, by Roger Fouts. Fouts is the main person responsible for teaching Washoe American Sign Language, and in doing so he became one of the first people in the world to communicate with a chimpanzee. At first, Fouts, along with a few graduate students from the University of Nevada, taught Washoe by pointing to an object such as an apple, then positioning her hands into that sign. They would repeat this until she gradually learned to do it without an instructor's aid. However, they quickly learned that the best way to teach Washoe was simply by having people sign in her presence, and over time she would pick up different words/signs. According to the book Apes, Men, and Language the first time that they realized this was with the sign for toothbrush. For months, they signed it in front of her, not sure she even noticed. Then one day, she saw a toothbrush sitting on a table and, unprompted, signed toothbrush to herself.
             Many things were considered in choosing American Sign Language as humans medium of communication with primates. For instance, they could have invented a language to teach to the chimp, or they could have chosen from among the many sign languages that are used throughout the world today. Inevitably, they quickly discarded the complicated task of i...