\u201cWith our approach, we were able to quantify how the meaning of bonobo single calls and call combinations relate to each other,\u201d says Simon Townsend, UZH Professor and senior author of the study.<\/p>\n
The researchers found numerous call combinations that bore a striking resemblance to the more complex nontrivial compositional structures in human language. \u201cThis suggests that the capacity to combine call types in complex ways is not as unique to humans as we once thought,\u201d says M\u00e9lissa Berthet.<\/p>\n
Key aspects of language are evolutionary ancient, older than previously thought<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
An important implication of this research is the potential light it sheds on the evolutionary roots of language\u2019s compositional nature.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince humans and bonobos had a common ancestor approximately 7 to 13 million years ago, they share many traits by descent, and it appears that compositionality is likely one of them,\u201d says Harvard Professor Martin Surbeck, co-author of the study published in the Journal Science.<\/p>\n
The findings indicate that the ability to construct complex meanings from smaller vocal units existed long before human language emerged, and that bonobo vocal communication shares more similarities with human language than previously thought.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur study suggests that our ancestors already extensively used compositionality at least 7 million years ago, if not more,\u201d concluded Simon Townsend.<\/p>\n