Language studies in chimps

When I was going into college, I wanted to major in "chimp education." Yeah, I know...there is no "chimp education" major. I picked the next best thing: deaf education. I realize that deaf children should not be compared to chimps, but they can communicate in the same way: through gesture, mime, and sign.

So here I am, teaching deaf kids, when I find this book by Mr. Fouts. The story follows the true life story of a pampered chimp named Washoe. She's not just a normal chimpanzee, she is raised like a deaf child. She is only exposed to sign language (no voice) and is fed and dressed like a child. She sleeps in a bed and goes to the bathroom in a toilet.

This is not just an act. She is not just cued to say what her trainers want her to say. She makes up words when she doesn't know the sign. The first time Washoe saw another chimp, she signed "big black bug."

Washoe is, however, a language experiment. What happens when the experiment is over? Well, there's no need for a 6-year-old chimpanzee to wreak havoc around a farm, so she is shipped off with her own intern (Mr. Fouts) to Oklahoma.

Washoe does meet other signing chimps throughout her life. does she communicate with them using human language or sign language? I can't tell you that.

I don't want to ruin the book because it's an amazing story, so I'll just say that Washoe goes through a few more homes, like an actual foster child, and ends up teaching her interns more than they can teach her.