CHIMPS speak their own language which is more complex than previously thought, research shows.
They string together sounds to form sentences.
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The apes are able to combine grunts, pants, hoos, barks, screams, and whimpers.
Noises took on a different meanings depending on context and when and how they were used.
A single “hoo” was used to confront threats but several panted “hoos” were used in group communication.
The findings are from researchers who analysed recordings of about 5,000 chimps in Ivory Coast’s Taï National Park.
They found 390 patterns that made sentences but said there were probably others, possibly more complex still, that they have yet to record and unravel.
Researcher Tatiana Bortolato, from the Max Planck Institute in Germany, said: “It highlights a vocal communication system in chimpanzees that is much more complex and structured than previously thought.”
The team believes its work will shed light on how humans’ complex language evolved.
