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24 - Why does the chimpanzee vocal repertoire remain poorly understood and what can be done about it?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 November 2019

By
Catherine Crockford
Edited by
Christophe Boesch  and
Roman Wittig
Edited in association with
Catherine Crockford ,
Linda Vigilant ,
Tobias Deschner  and
Fabian Leendertz
Christophe Boesch
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für Evolutionäre Anthropologie, Germany
Roman Wittig
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für Evolutionäre Anthropologie, Germany
Catherine Crockford
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für Evolutionäre Anthropologie, Germany
Linda Vigilant
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für Evolutionäre Anthropologie, Germany
Tobias Deschner
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für Evolutionäre Anthropologie, Germany
Fabian Leendertz
Affiliation:
Robert Koch-Institut, Germany
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Summary

After decades of research, the origins of human speech remain little understood. One undoubted problem is that the vocal repertoires of humans’ closest living relatives, the apes, remain poorly described. Given that the evolution of language has left few fossils, many researchers interested in this question adopt a comparative approach, examining differences and consistencies between human and animal communication. However, comparisons will remain limited in the absence of a comprehensive analysis of the vocal repertoires of the other extant apes, especially of our two closest living relatives, the chimpanzee and bonobo. After years of observing and conducting field experiments with both western and eastern chimpanzees, I posit several reasons why a comprehensive analysis of the chimpanzee vocal repertoire has not yet been completed, in spite of 45 years of research, and what can be done to remedy this situation. I also tabulate cross-site consensus in call categorization, associated contexts of usage and potential call functions. I also note cross-site variation in presence and absence of vocalizations.

Keywords

Evolution of languagePrimateCommunicationCall usageCall combinations
Type
Chapter
Information
The Chimpanzees of the Taï Forest
40 Years of Research
 , pp. 394 - 409
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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