Panzee and Panbanisha
Encyclopedia
Panpanzee, often called "Panzee", and Panbanisha, also known by the lexigram , are two ape
s with whom research is being carried out in the United States. Panzee lives at the Language Research Center at Georgia State University
and Panbanisha lives at the Great Ape Trust
in Iowa. Panzee is a common chimpanzee
(Pan troglodytes), while Panbanisha is a Bonobo
(Pan paniscus); these are two separate species
. The basis of the early research, headed by Sue Savage-Rumbaugh
, a US anthropologist, is to study the language faculties of non-human primate
s and find out to what extent their upbringing affects their ability to use language
.
Panzee and Panbanisha were reared in an environment with other bonobos and with human teachers. The teachers used keyboards with lexigrams on them in tandem with spoken communication in order to allow the two apes to communicate back to them, and to allow them to learn to comprehend spoken and symbolic language. Of the two, Panbanisha showed greater linguistic capability, and was able to comprehend far more spoken language and lexigrams than her counterpart, Panzee.
The keyboards now in use contain a few hundred symbols, and the linguistic capability of these two is quite good. They are able to recognise not only digitised and spoken speech, but also the use of solely lexigrams from the keyboard.
The researchers claim that the experiments with these apes show that the gap between the genus Pan and our early hominid
ancestors, and even ourselves, is much smaller than we had previously realised.
Panbanisha now has two sons, Nyota and Nathen. Panzee does not have any children at this time.
Panbanisha is the daughter of Matata, the adopted mother of the famous Kanzi
.
Ape
Apes are Old World anthropoid mammals, more specifically a clade of tailless catarrhine primates, belonging to the biological superfamily Hominoidea. The apes are native to Africa and South-east Asia, although in relatively recent times humans have spread all over the world...
s with whom research is being carried out in the United States. Panzee lives at the Language Research Center at Georgia State University
Georgia State University
Georgia State University is a research university in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1913, it serves about 30,000 students and is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities...
and Panbanisha lives at the Great Ape Trust
Great Ape Trust
The Great Ape Trust is a ape sanctuary and language study in Des Moines, Iowa, that houses orangutans and bonobos. The sanctuary opened to primates on September 28, 2004. The mission of the Great Ape Trust is studying language, culture, intelligence, and tool use in primates...
in Iowa. Panzee is a common chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
(Pan troglodytes), while Panbanisha is a Bonobo
Bonobo
The bonobo , Pan paniscus, previously called the pygmy chimpanzee and less often, the dwarf or gracile chimpanzee, is a great ape and one of the two species making up the genus Pan. The other species in genus Pan is Pan troglodytes, or the common chimpanzee...
(Pan paniscus); these are two separate species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. The basis of the early research, headed by Sue Savage-Rumbaugh
Sue Savage-Rumbaugh
Sue Savage-Rumbaugh , also known by the lexigram , is a primatologist most known for her work with two bonobos, Kanzi and Panbanisha, investigating their use of "Great Ape language" using lexigrams and computer-based keyboards...
, a US anthropologist, is to study the language faculties of non-human primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
s and find out to what extent their upbringing affects their ability to use language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
.
Panzee and Panbanisha were reared in an environment with other bonobos and with human teachers. The teachers used keyboards with lexigrams on them in tandem with spoken communication in order to allow the two apes to communicate back to them, and to allow them to learn to comprehend spoken and symbolic language. Of the two, Panbanisha showed greater linguistic capability, and was able to comprehend far more spoken language and lexigrams than her counterpart, Panzee.
The keyboards now in use contain a few hundred symbols, and the linguistic capability of these two is quite good. They are able to recognise not only digitised and spoken speech, but also the use of solely lexigrams from the keyboard.
The researchers claim that the experiments with these apes show that the gap between the genus Pan and our early hominid
Hominidae
The Hominidae or include them .), as the term is used here, form a taxonomic family, including four extant genera: chimpanzees , gorillas , humans , and orangutans ....
ancestors, and even ourselves, is much smaller than we had previously realised.
Panbanisha now has two sons, Nyota and Nathen. Panzee does not have any children at this time.
Panbanisha is the daughter of Matata, the adopted mother of the famous Kanzi
Kanzi
Kanzi , also known by the lexigram , is a male bonobo who has been featured in several studies on great ape language. According to Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, a primatologist who has studied the bonobo throughout her life, Kanzi has exhibited advanced linguistic aptitude.- Biography :Born to Lorel and...
.
See also
- Great Ape languageGreat Ape languageResearch into non-human great ape language has involved teaching chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans to communicate with human beings and with each other using sign language, physical tokens, and lexigrams; see Yerkish...
- Great Ape personhoodGreat Ape personhoodGreat ape personhood is a movement to create legal recognition of bonobos, common chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans as bona fide persons.-First steps:...
- List of apes
- KanziKanziKanzi , also known by the lexigram , is a male bonobo who has been featured in several studies on great ape language. According to Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, a primatologist who has studied the bonobo throughout her life, Kanzi has exhibited advanced linguistic aptitude.- Biography :Born to Lorel and...
- KokoKoko (gorilla)Koko is a female western lowland gorilla who, according to Francine "Penny" Patterson, is able to understand more than 1,000 signs based on American Sign Language, and understand approximately 2,000 words of spoken English....
- WashoeWashoe (chimpanzee)Washoe was a chimpanzee who was the first non-human to learn to communicate using American Sign Language, as part of a research experiment on animal language acquisition....
- Nim ChimpskyNim ChimpskyNim Chimpsky was a chimpanzee who was the subject of an extended study of animal language acquisition at Columbia University, led by Herbert S. Terrace....
- Alex (parrot)Alex (parrot)Alex was an African Grey Parrot and the subject of a thirty-year experiment by animal psychologist Irene Pepperberg, initially at the University of Arizona and later at Harvard University and Brandeis University. Pepperberg bought Alex in a regular pet shop when he was about one year old...
- AkeakamaiAkeakamaiAkeakamai was a female Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, who along with a companion female dolphin named Phoenix, as well as tankmates Elele and Hiapo, were the subjects of Louis Herman's animal language studies at the Kewalo Basin Marine Mammal Laboratory in Honolulu, Hawaii...
- Evolution of language
- The Mind of an ApeThe Mind of an ApeThe Mind of an Ape is a 1983 book by David and Ann James Premack. In it, the authors argue that it is possible to teach language to great apes...
- YerkishYerkishYerkish is an artificial language developed for use by non-human primates. It employs a keyboard whose keys contain lexigrams, symbols corresponding to objects or ideas....
- Human apeHuman apeHuman Ape is a National Geographic documentary film on the genetic and evolutionary origins of human behavior, and covers the genetic and behavioural similarities and differences between humans and great apes...
External links
- Chimp talk debate: Is it really language? The New York Times, June 1995
- GSU Website - Panzee and Panbanisha
- GAT Website - Where Panbanisha lives .
- The Development of language Skills in Bonobo and Chimpanzee I. Comprehension.-Language and Communication, Vol. 15, No 2. pp121-148, 1995
- Savage-Rumbaugh, S., and Lewin, R. (1994) Kanzi: The Ape At The Brink of The Human Mind, John Wiley and Sons, Toronto. ISBN: 047115959X
- Talking with apes « The Last Arena (Panbanisha with her eldest son Nyota.)