Symbol Structures In
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Humans share the ability to create symbols with no other species. Various kinds of animals from plow horses to circus seals have been trained to recognize, respond to, and even use…a number of symbols. Chimpanzees and gorillas have proved to have a remarkable ability in this regard, learning to use up to 750 different symbols, even combining a few of them to convey more complex meanings.
Human Societies: An Introduction to Macrosociology. 9th ed. Nolan, Lenski, p. 15
Symbols can represent communication and as such are a form of language. Are humans truly the only primates that can understand language? Can other species talk? I believe humans are not the only primates capable of elementary language. Chimpanzees are competent in learning a basic form of language and can constructively express their ideas. Unfortunately for our primate comrades, they are lacking a fundamental physical element that is necessary in vocal language. Due to such inadequacies, Psychologists since the 1940s have been teaching chimpanzees how to communicate through the use of sign language. Over 60 years later great advancements have been made. Some scientists believe that one day these primates will be able to communicate masterfully through the use of signs and symbols. In our awareness of the chimpanzee’s inability to speak vocally, should we also exclude them from independent symbol creation? Are only humans gifted in “the ability to create symbols” (Human Societies: An Introduction to Macrosociology. 9th ed. Nolan, Lenski, p. 15) Or are we going to have to learn how to share that title?
To begin examining the origin of the use of symbols as a form of communication, one must look back in history almost 6000 years. Limestone tablets dated back to 3500 B.C. were found to bear some of the oldest known writing. On each tablet “are symbols for head, hand, foot, threshing sledge, and several numerals.” (Human Societies: An Introduction to Macrosociology. 9th ed. Patrick Nolan, Gerhard Lenski, p. 34) Although humans began writing structured messages as early as 6000 B.C., the actual use of symbols dates back almost 40,000 years ago. In her article concerning the origin of speech Penny Platt questions why such a huge time-gap is found between the first known use of symbols and the creation of language. She hypothesizes “an audacious theory about the origins of language: that the enforced stay of Cro-Magnons in caves during the ice ages encouraged the invention of a drawing technology, which, in turn, led to the invention of words.” (Cave Art and the Origin of Species, Platt) But what is language? Verbal communication is far from the only form. In our current world over 6500 various languages exist however when one smiles, the meaning is universal. Symbols hold incredible importance in global communication. None would dispute that man forged the path to the construction of rational language, but are we truly alone in the ability to create symbols. Some would argue we are not.
In referring to our evolutionary brothers, the chimpanzees, we are not all that different. In fact, we share almost 99% of our DNA with chimpanzees. So one is forced to question why we have evolved so rapidly while our primate duplicate remains both primitive and indecisive in their societal structure. What are they lacking? Platt would argue that humans won the genetic lottery saying,
Interestingly, humans and simians are born with the same laryngeal machinery, but a human infant’s larynx drops at three months of age, creating a resonating chamber, which makes consonant and vowel sounds possible. Apes speak through the nose and cannot make the same phonetic sounds humans make by using their lips, cheeks, tongue, palate, and teeth.
Cave Art and the Origin of Species, Platt
This may bare some evidence as to why the apes lack the ability to speak however, the capacity to sound out various words are not a major component in language. Language could conceivably have existed within the primate society regardless of their capability to pronounce the letters “e” or “a”. So why are humans alone in the use of language? Evolutionary geneticist Andrew G. Clark says,
Perhaps some of the genes that enable humans to understand speech work not only in the brain, but also are involved in hearing…Mutations in alpha tectorin result in poor frequency response of the ear, making it hard to understand speech. “Its something like replacing the soundboard of a Stradivarius violin with a piece of plywood,” Clark notes. The large divergence between humans and chimps in alpha tectorin, he says, could imply that humans needed to tune the protein for specific attributes of their sense of hearing. This leads Clark to wonder whether one of the difficulties in training chimpanzees to understand human speech is