Researchers Discover Common Marmosets Speak In Dialects And Are Capable Of Adopting To Accents

A new research found out that monkeys speak in dialects and even change their accent depending on who they are talking with.

In a research that was conducted by researchers from the University of Zurich in Switzerland, it found that monkeys changed their calls to signal their commitment to a new group.

This tactic increased their chances of finding a mating partner.

Researchers from the University of Zurich logged calls of common marmosets before they moved into a new colony and after they settled in the colony.

It found out that the marmosets had a different dialect and new accent in just 6 weeks after their move.

Marmosets picked up their accents based on their social interactions.

Dr. Judith Burkart, the senior author of the study, said, “It’s rather like what you in England call accents. All the calls are high pitched so for the human ear it’s hard to hear these differences but using acoustic analysis we could locate these calls to distinct areas.”

Yvonne Zürcher, a doctoral student who is the first author of the study from the Department of Anthropology, said the study shows the dialects marmosets learn.

Yvonne said, “We could clearly show that the dialects of common marmosets are learned socially. If their dialects were genetically determined, moving to a new place wouldn’t cause any change in calls.”

Yvonne added, “The changes can’t be explained by differences in the environment either.”

Dr. Judith said it is not clear why common marmosets adapted their dialects.

But Dr. Judith added, “Population differences in vocalisations have been reported for many bird species, but also for mammals including primates. Such population differences can be the result of environmental differences, if animals adapt to a vocal optimum in their local environment to increase signal transmission.”

Dr. Judith continued, “Alternatively, they can be the result of genetic differences. Finally, population differences in vocalizations can be the result of cultural transmission, i.e. vocal social learning or social accommodation. These latter cases are of particular interest because of their similarity with human dialects and potential implications for language evolution.”

The study collected a total of 10,267 calls from 16 different common marmosets.

Researchers also recorded 4337 calls for environmental accommodation and 5930 calls from social accommodation.

In the study, the dialects in primates were defined during acoustic differences between populations, including structural differences of the same calls.

Also, dialects in many birds are the result of cultural transmission.

The study said, “In contrast, in primates, vocal learning is rare and current evidence that social factors play a role in population differences in vocal structure is indirect.”

Marmosets are less close to humans than the great apes, but their unique ability in learning language skills will help us understand where our language came from.

According to the study, one set of marmosets had a different environment, while the other one had a different social group.

The common marmoset could pick up an accent after it gets exposed to the new call.

Talking about their amazing language skills, Dr. Judith said, “Marmoset calls are not strictly genetically fixed and that population differences are most likely the result of social vocal learning.”

Also, the study found out that marmoset infants have an amazing babbling phase, which is extremely similar with babies from humans.

Nature is amazing, and as technology advances, we unlock some mysteries that could help us where we actually came from.

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