Shared semantics: exploring the interface between human and chimpanzee gestural communication

Mathew Henderson; Patrick G. Grosz; Kirsty E. Graham; Catherine Hobaiter; Pritty Patel-Grosz

doi:10.1111/mila.12500

Shared semantics: exploring the interface between human and chimpanzee gestural communication

Mathew Henderson, Patrick G. Grosz, Kirsty E. Graham, Catherine Hobaiter, Pritty Patel-Grosz^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Striking similarities across ape gestural repertoires suggest shared phylogenetic origins that likely provided a foundation for the emergence of language. We pilot a novel approach for exploring possible semantic universals across human and nonhuman ape species. In a forced-choice task, n = 300 participants watched 10 chimpanzee gesture forms performed by a human and chose from responses that paralleled inferred meanings for chimpanzee gestures. Participants agreed on a single meaning for nine gesture forms; in six of these the agreed form-meaning pair response(s) matched those established for chimpanzees. Such shared understanding suggests apes' (including humans') gesturing shares deep evolutionary origins.

Original language	English
Number of pages	18
Journal	Mind & Language
Volume	Early View
Early online date	26 Feb 2024
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/mila.12500
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 26 Feb 2024

Keywords

Communication
Form-meaning mappings
Gesture
Manual modality
Pragmatics
Primates

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10.1111/mila.12500Licence: CC BY

Henderson_2024_ML_Shared-semantics_CC
Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Mind & Language published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Final published version, 2.17 MBLicence: CC BY

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title = "Shared semantics: exploring the interface between human and chimpanzee gestural communication",

abstract = "Striking similarities across ape gestural repertoires suggest shared phylogenetic origins that likely provided a foundation for the emergence of language. We pilot a novel approach for exploring possible semantic universals across human and nonhuman ape species. In a forced-choice task, n = 300 participants watched 10 chimpanzee gesture forms performed by a human and chose from responses that paralleled inferred meanings for chimpanzee gestures. Participants agreed on a single meaning for nine gesture forms; in six of these the agreed form-meaning pair response(s) matched those established for chimpanzees. Such shared understanding suggests apes' (including humans') gesturing shares deep evolutionary origins.",

keywords = "Communication, Form-meaning mappings, Gesture, Manual modality, Pragmatics, Primates",

author = "Mathew Henderson and Grosz, \{Patrick G.\} and Graham, \{Kirsty E.\} and Catherine Hobaiter and Pritty Patel-Grosz",

note = "Career development grant, University ofOslo (PI: Patel-Grosz); EU Horizon 2020Marie Sk{\l}odowska-Curie R\&I Program,Grant/Award Number: 945408 (Recipient:Patel-Grosz); H2020 European ResearchCouncil, Grant/Award Number: 802719(PI: Hobaiter); RFIEA+LABEX,Grant/Award Number: ANR-11-LABX-0027-01 (Recipient: Patel-Grosz)",

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doi = "10.1111/mila.12500",

language = "English",

volume = "Early View",

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T1 - Shared semantics

T2 - exploring the interface between human and chimpanzee gestural communication

AU - Henderson, Mathew

AU - Grosz, Patrick G.

AU - Graham, Kirsty E.

AU - Hobaiter, Catherine

AU - Patel-Grosz, Pritty

N1 - Career development grant, University ofOslo (PI: Patel-Grosz); EU Horizon 2020Marie Skłodowska-Curie R&I Program,Grant/Award Number: 945408 (Recipient:Patel-Grosz); H2020 European ResearchCouncil, Grant/Award Number: 802719(PI: Hobaiter); RFIEA+LABEX,Grant/Award Number: ANR-11-LABX-0027-01 (Recipient: Patel-Grosz)

PY - 2024/2/26

Y1 - 2024/2/26

N2 - Striking similarities across ape gestural repertoires suggest shared phylogenetic origins that likely provided a foundation for the emergence of language. We pilot a novel approach for exploring possible semantic universals across human and nonhuman ape species. In a forced-choice task, n = 300 participants watched 10 chimpanzee gesture forms performed by a human and chose from responses that paralleled inferred meanings for chimpanzee gestures. Participants agreed on a single meaning for nine gesture forms; in six of these the agreed form-meaning pair response(s) matched those established for chimpanzees. Such shared understanding suggests apes' (including humans') gesturing shares deep evolutionary origins.

AB - Striking similarities across ape gestural repertoires suggest shared phylogenetic origins that likely provided a foundation for the emergence of language. We pilot a novel approach for exploring possible semantic universals across human and nonhuman ape species. In a forced-choice task, n = 300 participants watched 10 chimpanzee gesture forms performed by a human and chose from responses that paralleled inferred meanings for chimpanzee gestures. Participants agreed on a single meaning for nine gesture forms; in six of these the agreed form-meaning pair response(s) matched those established for chimpanzees. Such shared understanding suggests apes' (including humans') gesturing shares deep evolutionary origins.

KW - Communication

KW - Form-meaning mappings

KW - Gesture

KW - Manual modality

KW - Pragmatics

KW - Primates

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85186612579

U2 - 10.1111/mila.12500

DO - 10.1111/mila.12500

M3 - Article

SN - 0268-1064

VL - Early View

JO - Mind & Language

JF - Mind & Language

ER -

Shared semantics: exploring the interface between human and chimpanzee gestural communication

Abstract

Keywords

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Cat Hobaiter: H2020 ERC Starting Grant 2018 GESTURALORIGINS