"During the six months that Berthet observed the primates, they combined calls in several ways to make complex phrases. In one example, bonobos ( Pan paniscus) that were building nests together added a yelp, meaning 'let's do this', to a grunt that says 'look at me'. "It's really a way to say: 'Look at what I'm doing, and let's do this all together'," says Berthet, who studies primates and linguistics at the University of Rennes, France."
"The study, reported in April, is one of several examples from the past few years that highlight just how sophisticated vocal communication in non-human animals can be. In some species of primate, whale and bird, researchers have identified features and patterns of vocalization that have long been considered defining characteristics of human language. These results challenge ideas about what makes human language special - and even how 'language' should be defined."
Bonobos in the Democratic Republic of the Congo combine distinct calls into complex, multi-part vocal phrases during social activities such as nest building and group cohesion. Specific call combinations convey compounded meanings, for example pairing a yelp meaning "let's do this" with a grunt meaning "look at me" to signal joint action, or following a peep meaning desire with a whistle to encourage staying together. Such combinatorial vocal behavior appears context-sensitive and may serve social functions like calming or coordinating groups. Advances in artificial intelligence are accelerating detection and interpretation of animal vocalizations and raising interest in bidirectional communication.
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