Ape communication studies have been ongoing since the turn of the century.  Before these studies began, it was thought that apes weren't capable of communicating anything more than basic emotions. Because they are very vocal, however, it was thought that with a little time and effort they could be taught to speak just as we do. Although these methods failed, it was noted that chimpanzees seemed quite intelligent and used a lot of gestures. Later studies concentrated on teaching chimpanzees to talk using non-verbal methods of communication.