New Analysis Shows Chimpanzees Can Mimic Human Speech

Researchers find evidence of chimpanzees saying 'mama,' challenging long-held beliefs about primate vocal abilities.

Footage from the 1960s and 2000s show chimpanzees saying 'mama' in response to human prompts.
Phonetic analysis confirms that chimpanzees can produce syllabic utterances similar to human words.
The study suggests chimpanzees possess the neural components necessary for speech.
Experiments revealed that participants could identify chimpanzee utterances as human-like words.
The findings reignite debates on the speech capabilities of non-human primates.