ABSTRACT
To rekindle interest in the social dimensions of language, this chapter summarises primate communication channels by exploring: the design features that distinguish each mode of nonverbal communication, the criteria for each channel to transmit a successful message, the type of information best suited for each mode of communication, and the components comprising each modality code. The chapter shows that primates choose their mode of communication in accordance with the sophistication of their major sensory organs—that is, the olfactory, tactile, visual, and auditory—and the demands of the environment. It argues that the pressures of forest zones long ago equipped higher primates with a distinctive communication system that allows for the dual transmission of emotional states and cognitive states when channeled through the visual and haptic sensory systems. The chapter overviews the primate sensory organs and modes of communication to provide a framework for informed speculation on the origins of verbal communication.
