CHAPTER XII 



The Speech of Chimpanzees — A New System of Phonetic Symbols 

 — Some Common Words — Gestures 



THE speech of chimpanzees (as of other simians) is 

 limited to a few sounds, and these chiefly relate to 

 their natural wants. The entire vocabulary of their lan- 

 guage embraces perhaps not more than twenty-five or thirty 

 words. Many of them are vague or ambiguous, but they 

 express the concept of the ape with as much precision as 

 it is defined to his mind, and quite distinctly enough for 

 his purpose. 



During my researches I have learned ten words of the 

 speech of this ape, so that I can understand them and make 

 myself understood by them. In tone, pitch, and modula- 

 tion most of the sounds are within the compass of the 

 human voice. Two of them are much greater in volume 

 than it is possible for the human lungs to reach, and one 

 of them rises to a pitch more than an octave higher than a 

 human voice of middle pitch. These two sounds are audi- 

 ble at a great distance, but they do not properly fall within 

 the limits of speech. 



The vocal organs of the chimpanzee resemble those 

 of man as closely as other physical features have been 

 shown to resemble. They differ slightly in one respect 

 that is worthy of notice. Just above the opening called 



ioS 



