New article just out in NBR, co-authored with some brilliant linguists I’m working with in the new @dfg.de-funded CRC “Common Ground” (link below)! What can ambiguity in nonhuman communication teach us about the evolution of language? 🐵🗣️🐘

Asya Achimova@aachimova.bsky.social · last yr.

In a new exciting collaboration with @marlenfroehlich.bsky.social and @profgerhard.bsky.social we think about how studying ambiguity in human and great ape communication can advance our theories of language evolution. Paper out at doi.org/10.1016/j.ne...

Our new chapter is out! 📢 Co-first-authored with @mawadafreville.bsky.social with attentive supervision of @chacanteloup.bsky.social🤗 How has intentionality been theorised in developmental psychology and primatology, and how is it studied in animal signals?🐒🦜👶 Take a look 👇 doi.org/10.1016/B978...

Intentional Communication in Animals

The evolutionary origins of human language are deeply intertwined with the ability to communicate intentionally. Grounded in frameworks from developme…

sciencedirect.com

Congratulations to my superb PhD student Angèle Lombrey on publishing her first article in Biological Reviews @camphilsoc.bsky.social — no less! 😎🍾 Curious about individual differences in animal communicative behavior? 🐦🐬🦧Check out our open-access paper: 👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Individual variation in animal communication: from species averages to unique voices

The comparative study of communicative behaviour in non-human animals, especially primates, has yielded crucial insights into the evolution of human language. This research, mostly focused on the spe...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

📢 2 PhD positions (E13 TV-L, 75%) in our DFG-funded project on great ape communication & the evolution of common ground! 🧠 Backgrounds in biology, psychology or linguistics welcome. 🗓️ Deadline: Aug 13 🔗 bit.ly/4l8p7hy & bit.ly/46jcfAq Please share! @elmanubohn.bsky.social @meanwhileina.bsky.social

Marlen Fröhlich@marlenfroehlich.bsky.social · last yr.

🎉Exciting times ahead for @elmanubohn.bsky.social, Michael Franke, and me! We will soon be advertising 2 PhD positions (linguistics/biology/psychology) for our SFB subproject "Modeling Great Ape Signaling Behaviour" 🧮 🐵 Stay tuned!

🚨 New preprint! 3 years after our symposium at the EFP-GfP meeting in Arnhem, I'm happy to share a prefinal draft of our review on approaches to studying flexibility in animal communication. Thanks/Merci beaucoup to the 7 stellar presenters & coauthors who made this possible! osf.io/preprints/ps...

@mawadafreville.bsky.social just presented her work on the social development of vervet monkeys at the SFECA conference !

Bonobos may combine words in ways previously thought unique to humans

Bonobos may combine words in ways previously thought unique to humans

Phrases used to smooth over tense social situations have meanings beyond the sum of their parts, study suggests Bonobos use a combination of calls to encourage peace with their partner during mating rituals, research suggests. The discovery is part of a study that suggests our close evolutionary cousins can string together vocalisations to produce phrases with meanings that go beyond the sum of their parts – something often considered unique to human language. Continue reading...

theguardian.com

The EFP's EDI group had its first meeting yesterday! 🥳 With 23 registered members, we already have lots of projects and ideas. It is not too late if you want to join! 📢 Stay tuned for more coming soon!

Out of mama's shadow, but not too far... Mawa Dafreville talking about vervet monkeys' socialisation @cultconf.bsky.social @mawadafreville.bsky.social #cultureconference2025