After applying linguistic tools to the calls of monkeys, researchers
now think they can understand what our primate relatives are saying
Fiona Macdonald – Researchers have used human linguistic tools to translate the language of Campbell’s monkeys (Cercopithecus campbelli), primates found in western Africa.
For years primatologists and linguists have been studying their advanced language to try to crack the code of monkey vocabulary, but now a team of researchers believe they may have finally done it, all thanks to the monkey term “krak”.
They found that Campbell’s monkeys in the Ivory Coast’s Tai Forest use the term krak to indicate that a leopard is nearby, and the sound “hok” to warn others that there’s an eagle circling overhead. You can listen to how these words sound over at Scientific American.
Continue reading… “Learning the Language of Monkey Talk”
