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Non-human primates like Kanzi show language abilities that are:

a) Non-existent
b) Limited to basic communication
c) Highly developed and complex
d) Dependent on human interaction

1 Answer

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Final answer:

Non-human primates like Kanzi show language abilities that are limited to basic communication, using a protolanguage that is rule-based but not as complex as human language, and these abilities are largely dependent on human interaction. The correct option is b) Limited to basic communication

Step-by-step explanation:

Non-human primates such as Kanzi demonstrate language abilities that are best described as limited to basic communication.

While great apes such as bonobos and gorillas have been taught gestures or tokens to refer to objects and can combine these in a rule-based way to communicate, this protolanguage remains basic compared to the open and infinitely combinable structure of human language.

Primatologist Sue Savage-Rumbaugh's studies with bonobos Kanzi and Panbanisha using a lexigram system showed that they were able to understand human speech to a degree and communicate using symbols, which provides evidence of cognitive linguistic skills in non-human primates.

However, their communication abilities are greatly dependent on human interaction and do not exhibit the creative and recursive complexity of human language. The correct option is b) Limited to basic communication

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