Why are the language capabilities of nonhuman primates impor

Why are the language capabilities of nonhuman primates important to our understanding of how our own species may have acquired language?

Solution

  There have been lots of studies regarding the human language and humans are the only species that have language capabilities. Studies involving non human primates have helped us in understanding the language development in humans up to a great extent. Non human primates do not have language capabilities even though they are closely related to humans evolutionarily. The most important factor which differentiates between humans and non human primates in their language capabilities is the unique structure of their brains. Asymmetry in certain areas of the brain in humans, especially the Wernicke’s area is attributed to language development in humans. This particular area is so unique to humans that it is totally absent in non human primates.

But humans and primates have acquired the ability to communicate from a common ancestor, according to studies, and humans developed specialized ways to develop language over a period of time during the course of evolution. Humans during early periods of evolution might have communicated amongst themselves using various sign languages including grimaces, sounds etc as primates will do among them and during the course of evolution they have developed sophisticated language capabilities. The communication capabilities of non human primates should definitely have been a precursor for development of human language capabilities. So in a way understanding non human primate language can in help us decipher how human language have evolved to the present level of complexity.