Scientists study human language evolution via apes
UK-based scientists studied the communication calls of 'Orangutans', one of our closest ancestors. 'Kiss-squeaks' were analysed to understand t, p, k consonants as their sound depends on tongue-lip movement, rather than voice. They found that different signals were sometimes used to carry same information to reinforce a message like humans use 'car, vehicle, automobile' to convey the same meaning.
London, Feb 9 (PTI) Scientists may have analysed almost 5,000 orangutan "kiss squeaks" - purse-lipped consonant-like calls that appear to convey different messages to understand how human ancestors formed their earliest words. Researchers from Durham University in UK spent years listening to the communication calls of one of our closest ape relatives. The team studied kiss squeaks in particular because, like many consonants they depend on the action of the lips, tongue and jaw rather than the voice. "Kiss squeaks do not involve vocal fold action, so they are acoustically and articulatory consonant-like," said Reis e Lameira, from Durham University. The scientists recorded and analysed 4,486 kiss-squeaks recorded from 48 animals in four wild populations. They found that the animals embedded several different bits of information in their squeaks. The team compared this to how we might use more than one word to convey the same meaning - saying "car" but also "automobile" and "vehicle". 