Great ape language

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/great-ape-language

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the historical research modalities?Vocal imitation, American Sign Language (ASL), lexigrams (symbol keyboards), physical tokens
2. What is the current research paradigm?Observational ethology focusing on natural intraspecies communication (gestures, facial expressions, vocalizations)
3. Can gorillas and chimpanzees talk like humans?They can learn symbols and signs, but they can’t make the same speech sounds as humans because their vocal cords are different.
4. How did scientists teach apes to communicate?They used sign language, picture symbols, and keyboard words, like the bonobo Kanzi who learned many symbols.

Vocal Tract: The part of the throat and mouth used for producing speech sounds.
Associative Learning: Learning to connect a stimulus with a response or outcome.
Ethology: The scientific study of animal behavior in natural environments.
Displacement (Linguistics): The ability of language to refer to things not present in time or space.