Bonobo calls reveal language-like traits

Bonobos’ vocal calls share an unexpected feature of human communication, suggesting that the building blocks of language developed earlier in our evolutionary history than previously thought.

Bonobos, our species’ joint-closest relative alongside chimpanzees, make noises that stand for concepts, like “run” or “predator.”

Now, researchers have found that the apes appear to use one sound to modify the meaning of another, New Scientist reported: For example, combining the sounds for “pay attention” and “I am excited” seemed equivalent to “pay attention to me because I am in distress.”

This ability is key to human language, but had never been observed among animals before. The finding suggests the roots of language existed at least seven million years ago, when bonobos and humans diverged.