Nim Chimpsky a chimpanzee who was named after a contemporary psychologist, linguist and political activist Nom Chomsky (Good Therapy). This is because Chompsy said that only humans have the means to learn language and researchers saw this as a clever pun (nybooks). Nim was a well-recognized chimpanzee for language learning, and was the focus of an experiment in teaching primates sign language. He was born in Norman, Oklahoma at the Institute for Primate Studies, on November 21, 1973. Nim died in March of 2000 from a heart attack or some say from a broken heart. He was twenty-six years old at the Black Beauty Ranch, a Texas animal sanctuary where he had passed away (npr). The Chimpanzee was raised as if he were a human; he was apart of all aspects of family life (dailymail). Nim was taken from his mother’s arms as an infant and given to Stephanie LaFarge, his new human mother. He was taken to her home in New York City where she would raise him in the same custom that she did her own seven children (Dailymail). Nim was in an experiment that was based on nature vs. nurture (skepticblog). In this experiment, Nim was learning how to communicate using sign language, he was sent to Columbia University were there was a chain of monitors watching his progress of ASL. The man who was the creator of this experiment was Dr. Herbert Terrace, a psychology professor. He wanted to prove that a chimpanzee if in a nurturing environment similar to the environment of human child could use grammar to create sentences if they were taught sign language (TheGuardian). Nim being at Columbia University meant that Terrace could control all variables in the experiment (skepticblog). The students of the University were also researches of this research on Nim Chimpsky, such as Bob Ingersoll and Joyce Butler. Terrace put Laura-Ann Pettito a student in charge of Nims education, and the development of learning sign language. Nim moved permanently to a mansion owed by Columbia College, where Pettito and two other teachers and caregivers could watch him. Nim was growing bigger and stronger and soon acted more like a chimpanzee with his violence towards Pettito and other researchers (nybooks). He was starting to show that even being brought up in a nurturing environment similar to children he was still a chimpanzee in nature. Among “Project Nim” the methods on how the researches taught him to communicate and how he learned sign language was fascinating. Terrace organized different sessions with graduate students who taught Nim sign language in a windowless room in Columbia on a regular basis (nybooks). This occurred to have a more efficient design for the experiment so Nim would build his vocabulary faster (telegraph). There was a two-way mirror where guest could watch the experiment unfold (telegraph). The researchers would record his signing that was progressing rapidly (nybooks). He was isolated to Nim established a vocabulary of around 120 signs in this experiment (nybooks). Although he learned signs he did not know how to make a complete and continuing sentence. He had learned symbols but not the way to properly use them in everyday life as a human would. After this experiment was over and cancelled due to funding problems the outcome of Nim was that he was and always would be a chimp. He may not have learned how to sign proper sentences but he was a “brilliant beggar” according to Terrace, who says that he only interacted to get what he wanted (Ehis). Even though he was progressive learning signs rapidly he also was growing bigger, stronger and more physical. This sweet primate became violent, aggressive and attacked several trainers. Laura-Ann Pettito suffered from a bite that needed 37 stitches from Nim (dailymail). After these incidents and Terrace’s decision stating that they had enough data that need analyzing, the experiment was cancelled and Nim was brought back to Institute for Primate Studies. The outcome of the experiment is that Nim could be taught grammar in sign language but could not produce complete sentences with the grammar given to him. In “Project Nim” it shows that language is not just unique to humans because even though he couldn’t make sentences he understood the grammar of words and what he was asking for or wanting. Primates, birds, marine mammals, cats, dogs and many other animals all have a form of communicating with their species and others even if they do not have set rules as humans do (BBC). Language in both humans and species is learned naturally because children are surround by language since birth and species are as well. Species and humans learn language in the same way by being surrounded by it and having a model or parental figure to learn from. In the experiment with Nim it shows that primates can also acquire human language if surround by it and can learn it naturally. However, primates require extensive training and physical reinforcements for responses (Notes). In other words yes human and other species learn language but in different ways.

Reference

(2012,Decemeber 11). How a New York chimp raised as a human died of a ‘broken heart’. Mail Online. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246164/How-New-York-chimp-raised-human-died-broken-heart.html
(2011,July 20). ‘Project Nim’: A Chimp’s Very Human, Very Sad Life. NPR. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2011/07/20/138467156/project-nim-a-chimps-very-human-very-sad-life
Singer, P. (2011,August 18). The Troubled Life of Nim Chimpsy. The New York Review of Books. Retrieved from http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2011/aug/ 18/troubled-life-nim-chimpsky/
Shermer, M. (2011, July 26). Flowers for Nim [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.skepticblog.org/2011/07/26/flowers-for-nim/
Ramsamy, G.K. (2011, July 23). Nim Chimpsky: the chimp they tried to turn into a human. The guardian/ The observer. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/ film/2011/jul/24/project-nim-chimpsky-chimpanzee-lanuage Goldman, J.G. (2012, October 17). Is Language unique to Humans? BBC. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20121016-is-language-unique-to-humans/2
Hess, E. (2008, June 08). Nim Chimpsky: the chimp who thought he was a boy. The telegraph. Retrieved from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/donotmigrate/3553978/Nim-Chimpsky-the-chimp-who-thought-he-was-a-boy.html
(2013, June 02). Noam Chomsky. Good Therapy. Retrieved from http://www.goodtherapy.org/famous-psychologists/noam-chomsky.html
Lucia, C. and Lybarger, D. (2011). Of Chimps and Humans: An Interview with James Marsh. Cineaste, 36, 4-9. Retrieved from: http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/detail? vid=4&sid=9405f42a-3dc5-4093-93d8-97462f4eede4%40sessionmgr 112&hid=116&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLHVpZCZzaXRlPWVkcy1saXZl#db=ofs&AN=511176236