Mozambique: Study Shows Humans and Honeyguides Speak in Local Dialects

Researchers from the University of Cape Town (UCT), working with international collaborators, have shown that people in northern Mozambique use regionally distinct “dialects” when communicating with honeyguides. This reveals a striking parallel to the way human languages diversify.

Published in People and Nature, the study shows for the first time that human-to-wildlife communication can vary within a region in much the same way that human languages develop local dialects. These dialects allow…