The evolutionary trajectory of multimodal and multicomponent communication: A cross-species approach (EVOMICS)

• Applicant: Dr. Filipa Abreu
• Subject Area: Evolution, Anthropology ; Sensory and Behavioural Biology
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 568805549

Language is often seen as something unique to humans, as we use and combine words, gestures, and expressions in complex ways to communicate. A key aspect of human conversation is its structure: it includes greetings (openings), maintain them by speaking one after the other and showing that we are engaged (maintenance), and farewells (closings). This structure helps us navigate social interactions smoothly, avoid misunderstandings, and keep conversations going. Studies show that some primates, such as chimpanzees and other monkey species, also use different signals - such as sounds, gestures, and facial expressions - in their social interactions and sometimes even combine them. While we do not yet fully understand whether and how they organize these signals into clearly defined phases, evidence suggests that our unique human language shares structural similarities with the communication of our closest relatives. This raises an important question: Are these patterns something that humans and primates inherited from a common ancestor, or have different primate species developed them independently due to similar social needs? Since language does not leave behind fossils, one of the best ways to answer this question is to study how other primates communicate today. To explore this, the EVOMICS project will use data from various primates (including humans) to identify and distinguish the influences of evolutionary history, social needs, and living environments on primate communication. The following groups will be studied: young human children (6-24 months old), who are still learning human language; chimpanzees, our closest living relatives; sooty mangabeys, a monkey species that lives on the ground, and common marmosets, a small monkey, known for raising their babies together similar to humans. By comparing these species, the EVOMICS project will examine two key aspects: 1. How do primates use and combine sounds, gestures, and touches to communicate, and is this similar to human communication? 2. How do primates organize their interactions? Do they structure them similarly to human conversations with openings, maintenance, and closings? With these insights, the EVOMICS project aims to determine whether complex communication is more influenced by social needs (which would result in greater similarities between humans and marmosets) or by evolutionary history (which would indicate greater similarities between humans and chimpanzees). Ultimately, this project will help us better understand where human language comes from and how it may have evolved over time.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 2392: Visual communication. Theoretical, empirical, and applied perspectives (ViCom)
• International Connection: Brazil, France
• Cooperation Partners: Dr. Catherine Crockford; Professorin Dr. Nicola Schiel; Professor Dr. Antonio Souto; Dr. Roman Wittig
• Co-Investigators: Dr. Tobias Deschner; Professor Dr. Tim Christian Kietzmann