Gestural communication in the great apes

Language provides us with the most powerful social tool that any species has evolved. With it we can articulate any idea that comes to mind: from chaos theory to a knock-knock joke. And yet we have very little idea of how or why this remarkable faculty evolved. Other species’ communication permits rich information exchange; but humans do more than broadcast information –with language, whether spoken or signed, we communicate particular goals to specific partners. Language goes beyond information; it has meaning. When it was demonstrated that great apes employ their large repertoires of gestures to communicate in this language-like way, it revolutionised our understanding of non-human communication. Here we describe the gestural communication of great apes, with a particular focus on its language-like characteristics including intentional use, meaning, and flexibility.