SPOKANE: Washoe, a female chimpanzee that was believed to be the first non-human ever to acquire human language, has died at the Washington research institute where it was kept.
Washoe, who first learned a bit of American Sign Language (ASL) in a research project in Nevada, had been living on Central Washington University's Ellensburg campus since 1980. It had a vocabulary of about 250 words, although many critics questioned whether it was actually using language.
Roger and Deborah Fouts, the co-founders of The Chimpanzee and Human Communications Institute on the campus, announced the death.
It was born in Africa about 1965. "Washoe was an emissary, bringing us a message of respect for nature," Dr. Mary Lee Jensvold, assistant director of the institute, said.
Washoe taught sign language to three younger chimps who remain at the institute. They are Tatu, 31, Loulis, 29, and Dar, 31.
Washoe was the only chimpanzee at the institute born in Africa and was the matriarch of the chimpanzee family. It was named for Washoe County, Nevada, where it lived with Drs. Allen and Beatrix Gardner of the University of Nevada, Reno, from 1966 to 1970.
A window
Primate researcher Jane Goodall, in Roger Fouts' book Next of Kin, noted the importance of the work with Washoe. "Roger, through his ongoing conversations with Washoe and her extended family, has opened a window the cognitive workings of a chimpanzee's mind that adds new dimension to our understanding," Ms. Goodall was quoted as saying.
In 1967, the Gardner couple established Project Washoe to teach the chimp ASL. Previous attempts to teach chimpanzees to imitate vocal languages had failed. Roger Fouts was a graduate student of the Gardner couple.
For Washoe to be considered "reliable" on a sign, it had to be seen by three different observers in three separate instances. Then it had to be seen 15 days in a row to be added to its sign list.
But claims about Washoe's language skills were disputed by scientists who believed that language is unique to humans. Among those who doubted that chimps could use language were linguist Noam Chomsky and Harvard scientist Steven Pinker.
Professor Chomsky contended that the neural requirements for language developed in humans after the evolutionary split between humans and other primates. Dr. Pinker contended that primates simply learn to perform certain acts in order to receive rewards, and do not acquire true language.
Environment
The Gardner couple said they tried to make Washoe's environment as similar as possible to what a human infant with deaf parents would experience. Researchers communicated with Washoe by sign language, minimising the use of spoken words.
The Gardner couple said that, for example, when Washoe entered their bathroom, she made the sign for "toothbrush," when it saw one. Washoe also used the sign for "more' in many different situations. At one point, she used the sign for "flower" to express the idea of "smell."
After additional training, Washoe was eventually able to differentiate between "smell" and "flower," its supporters said.
After falling ill, Washoe had been taken to the veterinary hospital at Washington State University for a necropsy.
A "memorial ceremony" will be held on November 12.
On the Net, a related site is www.friendsofwashoe.org - AP
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Comment: It is ironic that scientists would argue whether these animals demonstrate true language ability. It is clear that, when put into a respective nurturing environment, these animals communicate, demonstrate abstract thinking, teach their young to do the same, have self-awareness and even show the ability to understand humor by joking and swearing inventively :)
Most importantly, they identify themselves with humans. All the 'talking' apes, when sorting the photographs they've been given into two categories, "people" and "animals", confidently put their own photos in the "people" pile -- while relegating the photos of their 'non-talking' peers into the "animals" pile.
When in company of zoo apes, the talking apes also would, after unsuccessful tries, refuse to communicate with them and, visibly distraught, would seek the society of people.
One talking ape, Lucy, was returned back into the wild. When her mentor-scientist found her in the jungle a few months later, Lucy signed to her, "take me away from here". Lucy was later killed by a poacher.
Chantek, an orangutan with a vocabulary of several hundred signs, was at some point transferred to a primate center, where he was confined in small quarters and isolation. He was depressed -- and did all he could to teach the zookeepers sign language.
All of this confirms the point of view expressed long ago by Charles Darwin: the difference between intellectual capabilities of animals and humans is quantitative rather than qualitative. The writer Mikhail Bulgakov approached this from another angle with his sarcastic comment: "having mastered speech doesn't make one human, and there are plenty of people out there who are a living proof of that" *:)
*quoted from an article about Washoe and other talking apes