But primate researchers say Rocky, the 11-year-old orangutan in the video, could fundamentally alter how we think about spoken language. “There are people, even academics, who will assert that great apes have little to no control over their vocalizations,” Shumaker said. Though it’s understood generally that apes can communicate, some believe spoken language is a uniquely Homo sapiens trait, said co-author Shumaker. Myriad studies dating from the late 20th century indicate that apes do understand language, including users of sign language, such as the chimpanzee, Washoe, the orangutan, Chantek, and the gorilla, Michael. “We’ve demonstrated that apes are able to learn a new vocalization that is unknown in their species,” Shumaker said.

Source: Washington Post July 28, 2016 16:15 UTC