This new study on bonobo communication is a big deal
Language evolution nerds take note!
A new study on bonobo communication is providing butt-kickingly exciting new insight into the origins of human language. Scientists have found that bonobos combine meaningful vocal sounds together into sound-combinations that give them a new meaning; a vital component of human language and kind of a BFD IMHO.
For context: I’ve spent decades battling netizens about the definition of “language” and explaining the ways in which animal communication systems do not fit the definition. The definition I’ve been using to make my argument makes two important distinctions between human language vs animal communication: 1) that human language can be used to represent any and all thoughts in our heads, no matter how abstract, and 2) that it is based on a syntactic system that can combine small units of meaning into larger units of meaning that allow for these infinite forms of meaning-representation.
There are some animal communication systems out there that have the ability to combine small/short structures into larger/longer structures, like whale or bird song. But the function of these songs is usually monolithic in terms of meaning, meant to convey a single message like “go away” or “come here” or “let’s mate”. That’s not to say that animals can’t convey a variety of nuanced messages thought flexible signal systems allowing them to convey their emotions and intentions, because they absolutely can. For many species, a signal’s meaning can be modified/enhanced by adding different elements. This is stuff you’ve likely encountered before. Like a cat that utters a short, quiet meow because they want food vs. a long, loud meow because they REALLY want food. Same message, but the difference in structure of the component parts of the meow modulate the urgency of the message.
But this bonobo discovery is something else; something more akin to what we see in human language. It is the most human-like form of meaningful-unit combination in animal communication that I have run across. This discovery does not mean that bonobos are fulfilling both of my two criteria for language, so it should not be framed as “bonobos have a language!”. But this is clear evidence of precisely how human language evolved from earlier forms of animal communication, and a major discovery.
Essentially what is happening is this: bonobos make a bunch of different sounds that that use in very specific contexts and thus have a specific meaning. A yelp sound is used to indicate the meaning “let’s do that”. A grunt sound means “look at me”. If you combine these two distinct sounds into a yelp/grunt combo sound, it generates a new meaning used in a new context. A yelp/grunt means “let’s build a night nest”. For context, bonobos sleep in tree nests that they build each evening. So when the time comes to build a nest, the yelp/grunt combo can be used by a bonobo to tell their friend(s) that it’s time to build a nest. It is a phrase that is clearly related to—but distinct in meaning from—the two meaningful units upon which it is built.
And that is exactly how human language works. Language, of course, is a far more complex system involving phonemes, morphemes, words, word-combinations, sentences, etc. that allow us to do things like write this Substack post that you can read and understand. But this bonobo system is a fantastic example of how it all must have started in our early hominid lineage all those millions of years ago. So it’s damn exciting (if not entirely surprising) to see a version of it present in one of our closest living relatives (i.e., the bonobo).
You can read the original article in Science at this link (if you’re into that sort of thing), or this handy article in The Guardian that provides a good summary.
In other news, I am happy to reveal that the cover for my new book Humanish is now official! The amazing illustration was provided by Armando Veve who is a genius artists whose work has appeared in The New Yorker. Here’s a video of the big reveal:
And yes indeed, the book is now available for pre-order! Check out this link to get a copy. It will be published on November 4th. More info on the cover and pre-order thing soon!