Are there talking monkeys? It seems so. They are the Gelada primates, a group of Ethiopian monkeys, which has been shown to use a language with striking analogies with the human one. In fact, not only with the smack of their lips they produce a lip sound similar to kisses, but they also communicate with an “oscillating” rhythm and a tone that reminds us. This is what emerges from a study published in the journal Current Biology by researchers from the University of Michigan
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
Are there talking monkeys? It seems so. They are the Gelada primates, a group of Ethiopian monkeys, which has been shown to use a language with striking similarities to that of humans. Not only with the smack of their lips in fact, they produce a lip sound similar to kisses, but they also communicate with an “oscillating” rhythm and a tone that reminds us of our own. This is what emerges from a study published in the journal Current Biology by some researchers of the University of Michigan.
The researchers tracked the primates inside the Simien Mountains National Park, where they recorded the unusual sounds of this species. Thore Bergman, professor of psychology, ecology and evolutionary biology describes them as sociable creatures, with a vast vocal repertoire. Vocal swing is mainly used by males and always in a friendly context. Bergman analyzed the sound recordings, monitoring their duration and frequency.
Using the digitized waveform, he measured the peaks and valleys that occurred multiple times per second. Analysis shows that the intervals of gelada sounds are unique and characterize no other primate but man. Other monkeys usually produce sounds which they are usually composed of one or two syllables and lack rapid fluctuations of tone and volume. This new research, on the other hand, supports the idea that lip smacking, a behavior that many primates exhibit during interactions, may have been an evolutionary step towards human language. "Our findings show that non-human primates can vocalize while smacking their lips to produce word-like sounds," Bergman explained.
But what do the sounds of the geladas mean?
“We still don't know much about it. It will be interesting to see if the production of these complex sounds allows geladas to communicate concepts that other monkeys are unable to exchange - continues the researcher-. We do not know whether the signifier or the signified came first. In other words, the ability to make these sounds may have anticipated the attribution of meaning to them. But the exact opposite could also have happened: the need to communicate in a more subtle way may have triggered the development of this ability. "
Roberta Ragni
