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English 101 for bonobos
Researchers in Iowa plumb the language skills of apes at a center where the primates even watch their own videos. Part 2 of two.
from the May 10, 2007 edition
Page 2 of 3
They had little success with Matata, an older bonobo born in the wild. But when she was away from the research station one day, scientists discovered that her young son, Kanzi, had learned a dozen of the lexigram symbols – like "banana," "peanuts," "bite," and "tickle" – without any actual instruction, simply by being nearby. Today, Kanzi knows more than 360 lexigrams and understands several thousand spoken words of English.
"The only organisms capable of learning language are babies," says Mr. Fields, who has been with the project almost since the beginning.
The mistake other research has made, he says, is trying to teach apes words the same way they would a second language – almost like a Berlitz class for animals. What's needed is to pick it up as a first language like humans do – by constant exposure to it at a young age, as a part of their everyday culture.
Most of the study has taken place at the Language Research Center at Georgia State University in Atlanta. Today, Kanzi and his sister, Panbanisha, along with Matata and four other bonobos, have moved to their new home at the Great Ape Trust here, where researchers hope the comfortable surroundings will help the primates develop and express themselves.
Their character and curiosity is definitely coming out. Kanzi, for instance, shows a particular liking for the Victoria's Secret catalogue. "Good Night, Gorilla" seems to be a favorite book of the whole clan. Panbanisha may be the next Julia Child: She recently watched a tape of herself making eggs and noodles in the kitchen, and, as Fields looked on, she pointed to various lexigrams to narrate what would happen next.
Kanzi loves to play with his ball and the other toys, which he lugs around in his backpack. He knows how to build a fire and works with primitive tools: He'll flake and sharpen stones and then use them to cut rope.
On this day, Panbanisha dutifully – and rapidly – points to the lexigrams that a researcher requests. But she devotes most of her attention to trying to get a screw out of the battery compartment of a talking toy dog with a pair of scissors. Nearby, Kanzi is busy threading beads on a string – not an easy task with his large fingers. But he's persistent and surprisingly adept.
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