The ability to change accents to adapt to new social groups and settings has been identified in chimpanzees. Chimps use calls and grunts to signal when particular foods are available, to alert the group to danger as well as convey other messages to the rest of their group. Each call has its distinct sound, and they vary between groups. A new study, published in the Journal of Current Biology suggests that when chimpanzees are introduced to new groups, they adapt the sound of their calls, or accents, to fit into the group.

The study shows that rather than vocal calls being fixed, vocal calls are fluid, according to Kate Slocomb of the University of York and one of the scientists who led the study. It is well documented that when humans change social settings we will adapt the way we speak, and anyone who has spent a fair amount of time in a foreign country will have a slight change of accent. This study indicates that this behavior is not unique to humans.

The study documented the vocal adaptation of a group of Dutch chimpanzees introduced to a group of Edinburgh chimpanzees, when changing zoo locations. Because chimps have specific and distinctive sounds for different kinds of food, researchers were able to track the progress of how the grunt for “apple” changed. Over the course of three years, the Dutch chimps introduced to the Scottish group gradually changed their calls to match those of their new social companions.

Although it may appear minor, the behavior contradicts the widely held notion that the calls are simply due to arousal states, and unable to adapt. It was proposed that this distinction is the key difference between animal calling and true language. The ability to adapt accent and sound suggests a level of sophistication in non-human primate language.

It remains unclear why the accent change takes place, however. Simon Townsend, another researcher involved in the study, hopes to discover if it is simple a practical matter of being understood better, or to better fit in with friends, and integrate socially.

The most recent common ancestor between humans and chimpanzees is thought to have possessed a building block of language. This building block may be shared by both species, and may be a contributing factor to the chimpanzee ability.