Marc Hauser and his colleagues have found that monkeys such as the cotton-top tamarin can distinguish between two languages, an ability once thought to be exclusively human. Hauser believes humans inherited the ability to process speech from ancestors that they have in common with monkeys and apes.
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Monkeys distinguish different languagesIt's not all Greek to themApril 13, 2000Researcher Marc Hauser and his colleagues tested the reactions of both cotton-top tamarin monkeys and French infants to the different sounds of Dutch and Japanese languages. Both monkeys and babies listened to speakers of one language until they became bored. When the speakers switched to a new language, babies instantly showed a shift in attention by increasing the rate at which they sucked on pacifiers. The monkeys quickly looked in the direction of the speakers. It's not just the change in sound that attracts their attention. When the sentences are played backward, neither responds. |
