CHAPTER VI 



THE SPEECH OF CHIMPANZEES 



The speech of chimpanzees is limited to a few 

 sounds, and these are confined chiefly to their 

 natural wants. The entire vocabulary of their 

 language embraces perhaps not more than twenty 

 words, and 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. 



In my researches I have learned about ten words 

 of his speech, so that I can understand them, and 

 make myself understood by them. Most of these 

 sounds are within the compass of the human voice, 

 in tone, pitch, and modulation ; but 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 any human 

 voice. These two sounds are audible at a great 

 distance, but they do not fall within the true limits 

 of speech. 



The vocal organs of this ape resemble those 

 of man as closely as any other character has been 

 shown to resemble. They differ slightly in one 



