Allen and Beatrix Gardner

Allen and Beatrix Gardner were linguists renowned for pioneering the study of language acquisition in non-human primates. In the 1960s, they successfully taught American Sign Language to Washoe, a chimpanzee, demonstrating that great apes can learn and use human-like language to communicate. Their work provided important insights into the cognitive and social capabilities of primates, challenging assumptions about language being exclusive to humans. The Gardners' research has significantly influenced fields like psycholinguistics, animal intelligence, and the understanding of language development.