Can chimps communicate with language?

This question is really asking whether nonhuman apes can communicate with a language taught to them by humans.

In 1979, Nim Chimsky (!) was taught American Sign Language. He was able to connect a sign to a meaning and could express simple thoughts, such as "give orange me give eat." However, Nim could not form new ideas by linking signs in ways he hadn't been taught; he didn't grasp syntax.

In 1982, Koko the gorilla was taught sign language by Penny Patterson. However, the problem was about the ambiguity in interpreting sign language, the handler is the only interpreter of the conversations, and as such she is not objective.

Matata (and indirectly her kid, Kanzi) learned lexigrams, an artificial symbol system of graphic design indicating objects, places, and actions, designed by Savage-Rumbaugh. He learned to use signs in a symbolic way, associating spoken words to lexigrams. He can generalize a specific reference: He uses the lexigram for bread to mean all breads.

Kanzi recognizes word order: he understands the difference between "Make the doggie bite the snake" and "Make the snake bite the doggie." However, Stephen Anderson argues that "Kanzi can associate lexigrams and some spoken words with parts of complex concepts in his mind, but words that are solely grammatical in content (i.e. function words) can only be ignored, because he has no grammar in which they might play a role."

Ref: The book Human, by Michael Gazzagniga