Abstract

Despite important similarities having been found between human and animal communication systems, surprisingly little research effort has focussed on whether the cognitive mechanisms underpinning these behaviours are also similar. If comparative research is going to help elucidate the evolutionary origins of human language we need to consider whether seemingly homologous traits are underpinned by similar mechanisms. In terms of vocal production, it is highly debated whether signal production in non-human primates is the result of reflexive processes, or under intentional control. I will present data from a snake presentation experiment with wild chimpanzees that shows that two types of alarm calls meet several behavioural markers for intentional production. In terms of reception of vocal signals, there is some evidence that conspecific alarm calls evoke mental representations in listeners, however the nature of any representations (object or affect based) remains difficult to determine. I will present recent work with Kanzi, the language competent bonobo, that shows he reliably matched bonobo alarm calls to lexigrams (arbitrary symbols) denoting both ‘snake’ as an object-based representation and ‘scare’ as an affect-based representation, indicating that these conspecific calls evoke both object-based and affect-based representations in this bonobo. Finally, I will ask whether joint attention, which is so important for language acquisition and communication in humans is unique to our species. I will present data from stimulus presentation experiments with human infants, wild chimpanzees and wild crested macaques to show that joint attention does occur in our closest living relatives, albeit at a much lower rate than in humans.