Chimpanzees show the capacity to communicate about concomitant daily life events

Bortolato, Tatiana; Friederici, Angela D.; Girard-Buttoz, Cédric; Wittig, Roman M.; Crockford, Catherine

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.108090

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 81 publications

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“…Yet, the possibility of self-embedded isochrony, or non-exclusive self-embedded patterns occurring within the same signal sequence, has on no account been formulated or conjectured as a possible state of recursive signaling, be it in vertebrates, mammals, primates, or otherwise, extant or extinct. This suggests that controversy may have been underscored by data-poor circumstances on vocal combinatorics in wild great apes, which only now start gathering comprehensive research effort ( Bortolato et al, 2023a ; Bortolato et al, 2023b ; Girard-Buttoz et al, 2022 ; but see Lameira et al, 2013a ). Resolution may come through a re-evaluation of previous studies with further related taxa and with experimental tests designed within a richer and more articulated panorama of observations on vocal combinatorics in wild great apes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recursive self-embedded vocal motifs in wild orangutans

Lameira

Hardus²,

Ravignani

et al. 2024

eLife

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Recursive procedures that allow placing a vocal signal inside another of similar kind provide a neuro-computational blueprint for syntax and phonology in spoken language and human song. There are, however, no known vocal patterns among nonhuman primates arranged in self-embedded combinations that evince vocal recursion or potential insipient forms and neuro-procedures thereof, suggesting a neuro-cognitive transformation exclusive to humans. Here, we uncover that wild flanged male orangutan long calls show two hierarchical strata, wherein rhythmically isochronous call sequences are nested within self-similar isochronous call sequences. Remarkably, three unrelated recursive motifs occurred simultaneously in long calls, refuting that motifs resulted from three parallel linear procedures or that motifs were simple anatomical artifacts of bodily constrains. Findings represent a case of recursive hominid vocal production in the absence syntax, semantics, phonology or music. Second-order combinatorics, ‘sequences within sequences’, involving hierarchically organized and cyclically structured vocal sounds in ancient hominids may have preluded the evolution of recursion in modern language-able humans.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recursive self-embedded vocal motifs in wild orangutans

Lameira

Hardus²,

Ravignani

et al. 2024

eLife

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show abstract

“…This multi-methodological approach will lead to novel findings concerning the evolution of the brain and its function, undiscovered up to now. Up to now, only results from the units early in the pipeline are published in individual articles ( Kopp et al, 2021 ; Girard-Buttoz et al, 2022a , b ; Bortolato et al, 2023a , b ; Eichner et al, 2023 ; Grampp et al, 2023 ; Gräßle et al, 2023 ). Results from the other units as well as combined results of the entire pipeline will only appear later due to the logical fact that the time at which behavioral data are gathered from the animals and the point at which their brain are available for brain structure analyses is not predictable and can take years.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus far only first results from units early in the pipeline are available and published. These are behavioral data ( Kopp et al, 2021 ; Girard-Buttoz et al, 2022a , b ; Grampp et al, 2023 ; Bortolato et al, 2023a , b ), data on brain extraction ( Gräßle et al, 2023 ) as well as first detailed neuroanatomical data on a chimpanzee’s brain ( Eichner et al, 2023 ). Results of later units in the pipeline inherently will only be available later.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brain structure and function: a multidisciplinary pipeline to study hominoid brain evolution

Friederici,

Wittig,

Anwander

et al. 2024

Front. Integr. Neurosci.

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To decipher the evolution of the hominoid brain and its functions, it is essential to conduct comparative studies in primates, including our closest living relatives. However, strong ethical concerns preclude in vivo neuroimaging of great apes. We propose a responsible and multidisciplinary alternative approach that links behavior to brain anatomy in non-human primates from diverse ecological backgrounds. The brains of primates observed in the wild or in captivity are extracted and fixed shortly after natural death, and then studied using advanced MRI neuroimaging and histology to reveal macro- and microstructures. By linking detailed neuroanatomy with observed behavior within and across primate species, our approach provides new perspectives on brain evolution. Combined with endocranial brain imprints extracted from computed tomographic scans of the skulls these data provide a framework for decoding evolutionary changes in hominin fossils. This approach is poised to become a key resource for investigating the evolution and functional differentiation of hominoid brains.

show abstract

“…Yet, the possibility of self-embedded isochrony, or non-exclusive self-embedded patterns occurring within the same signal sequence, has on no account been formulated or conjectured as a possible state of recursive signalling, be it in vertebrates, mammals, primates, or otherwise, extant or extinct. This suggests that controversy may have been underscored by data-poor circumstances on vocal combinatorics in wild great apes, which only now start gathering comprehensive research effort (Bortolato et al, 2023b(Bortolato et al, , 2023aGirard-Buttoz et al, 2022; but see Lameira et al, 2013a). Resolution may come through a re-evaluation of previous studies with further related taxa and with experimental tests designed within a richer and more articulated panorama of observations on vocal combinatorics in wild great apes.…”

Section: Implications For the Evolution Of Recursionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recursive self-embedded vocal motifs in wild orangutans

Lameira

Hardus²,

Ravignani

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Recursive procedures that allow placing a vocal signal inside another of similar kind provide a neuro-computational blueprint for syntax and phonology in spoken language and human song. There are, however, no known vocal patterns among nonhuman primates arranged in self-embedded combinations that evince vocal recursion or potential insipient forms and neuro-procedures thereof, suggesting a neuro-cognitive transformation exclusive to humans. Here, we uncover that wild flanged male orangutan long calls show two hierarchical strata, wherein rhythmically isochronous call sequences are nested within self-similar isochronous call sequences. Remarkably, three unrelated recursive motifs occurred simultaneously in long calls, refuting that motifs resulted from three parallel linear procedures or that motifs were simple anatomical artifacts of bodily constrains. Findings represent a case of recursive hominid vocal production in the absence syntax, semantincs, phonology or music. Second-order combinatorics, 'sequences within sequences', involving hierarchically organized and cyclically structured vocal sounds in ancient hominids may have preluded the evolution of recursion in modern language-able humans.

show abstract

Chimpanzees show the capacity to communicate about concomitant daily life events

Cited by 6 publications

References 81 publications

Recursive self-embedded vocal motifs in wild orangutans

Recursive self-embedded vocal motifs in wild orangutans

Brain structure and function: a multidisciplinary pipeline to study hominoid brain evolution

Recursive self-embedded vocal motifs in wild orangutans

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