Do animals have language? - Michele Bishop

Summary

This script explores animal communication, examining if it qualifies as 'language' by four criteria: discreteness, grammar, productivity, and displacement. While crabs and cuttlefish lack these qualities, bees and prairie dogs exhibit displacement, and some great apes show discreteness. However, no animal communication system fully matches human language's complexity, highlighting our unique ability to create and understand an infinite array of messages on diverse subjects.

Takeaways

• 🐙 Crabs use their claws to signal health and readiness for mating.
• 🦑 Cuttlefish employ chromatophores for camouflage and to send warnings to rivals.
• 🐝 Honeybees communicate the location and quality of food sources through complex dances.
• 🤔 The script questions whether animal communication constitutes 'language' by examining four qualities: discreteness, grammar, productivity, and displacement.
• 🔡 Discreteness refers to the use of individual units that can be rearranged to convey new ideas, akin to refrigerator poetry magnets.
• 📚 Grammar is the system of rules for combining individual units in a language.
• 🌐 Productivity allows for the creation of an infinite number of messages using language.
• ⏰ Displacement is the ability to talk about things not immediately present, such as past or fictional events.
• 🚫 Crabs and cuttlefish do not exhibit the qualities of language as they do not combine signals creatively or communicate beyond current conditions.
• 🐝 Bees and prairie dogs show displacement by communicating about things not directly in front of them, like distant food sources or predators.
• 🦍 Great apes, like Washoe the chimpanzee and Coco the gorilla, have demonstrated the ability to use modified sign language and understand some aspects of human language.
• 🐬 Dolphins use whistles for identification and can understand some aspects of a gestural language, but they do not naturally exhibit grammar in their communication.
• 🧠 Human language is unique due to its powerful combination of grammar, productivity, discreteness, and displacement, allowing for complex communication about a vast range of subjects.

Q & A

How do crabs communicate with each other?

Crabs communicate by waving their claws to signal that they are healthy and ready to mate.

What is the function of chromatophores in cuttlefish?

Chromatophores are pigmented skin cells in cuttlefish that create patterns on their skin for camouflage or to send warnings to rivals.

What do honeybees use to communicate the location and quality of a food source?

Honeybees use complex dances, including moves, angle, duration, and intensity of their waggle dance, to communicate about food sources.

What are the four qualities often associated with language?

The four qualities often associated with language are discreteness, grammar, productivity, and displacement.

What does discreteness in language refer to?

Discreteness refers to the existence of individual units, such as sounds or words, that can be combined to communicate new ideas.

How does grammar relate to language?

Grammar provides a system of rules that dictate how the individual units of language can be combined.

What is the significance of productivity in language?

Productivity is the ability to use language to create an infinite number of messages with the given units and rules.

Can animals exhibit the property of displacement in their communication?

Yes, some animals like bees and prairie dogs exhibit displacement by communicating about things not immediately present, such as the location of a food source or details about a predator.

How do prairie dog alarms calls convey information about predators?

Prairie dog alarms calls indicate the predator's size, shape, speed, and even details like what a human predator is wearing and if they are carrying a gun.

What is an example of an animal that has demonstrated discreteness in communication?

A chimpanzee named Washoe demonstrated discreteness by combining multiple signs into original phrases, such as 'Please open. Hurry.'

How do dolphins use whistles in their communication?

Dolphins use whistles to identify age, location, names, and gender, and they can understand some grammar in a gestural language used by researchers.

Why is human language considered unique among other forms of communication?

Human language is unique due to its powerful combination of grammar and productivity, along with discreteness and displacement, allowing for the creation of an infinite number of messages and communication about a vast range of subjects.

What is the current understanding of the relationship between human language and animal communication?

Research suggests that human language and animal communication may not be entirely different but exist on a continuum, reflecting our shared status as animals.

Outlines

00:00

🐙 Animal Communication: The Basics

This paragraph introduces the concept of animal communication, highlighting various species like crabs, cuttlefish, and honeybees, and their unique signaling methods. It raises the question of whether these communication systems can be considered 'language' and outlines four key qualities associated with language: discreteness, grammar, productivity, and displacement. The paragraph sets the stage for a deeper exploration of animal communication by comparing these qualities to the communication methods of different animals.

🦀 Crabs and Cuttlefish: Limited Communication

This section focuses on the communication abilities of crabs and cuttlefish, explaining that they do not exhibit the qualities of language as defined by the four qualities mentioned earlier. Crabs use their claws to signal health and readiness to mate, while cuttlefish use their chromatophores for camouflage or warning. However, their signals are not combined creatively, lack grammatical order, and are restricted to communicating current conditions.

🐝 Bees and Prairie Dogs: Advanced Communication Traits

The paragraph discusses the more complex communication systems of bees and prairie dogs, which exhibit some language-like qualities. Bees use a waggle dance with specific moves to convey the location and quality of food sources, demonstrating displacement. Prairie dogs have an intricate alarm system that communicates details about predators, including size, shape, speed, and even the attire of human predators, showcasing a form of displacement and a rudimentary form of grammar.

🦍 Great Apes: Learning Human Sign Language

This section delves into the communication abilities of great apes, such as chimpanzees and gorillas, some of which have learned modified sign language. It provides examples of discreteness in language use, like Washoe the chimpanzee creating original phrases, and Coco the gorilla displaying displacement by referring to past events. However, it notes that these examples involve the use of human communication systems rather than naturally occurring ones in the wild.

🐬 Dolphins: Whistles and Gestures

The paragraph examines the communication methods of dolphins, which use whistles for identification and can understand some aspects of gestural grammar when interacting with researchers. While dolphins exhibit some language-like qualities, their natural communication lacks the grammatical structure seen in human language.

🌐 Human Language: Unique and Complex

This final paragraph contrasts human language with animal communication, emphasizing the unique combination of grammar and productivity that allows humans to create an infinite number of messages with a finite set of elements. It highlights the ability to communicate about a wide range of subjects, including imaginary concepts, and the capacity for deception, which sets human language apart from the communication systems of other animals.

Keywords

💡Communication

Communication refers to the process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior. In the video's context, it is the primary theme, exploring how various animals convey information to each other. Examples include crabs signaling readiness to mate and honeybees using dances to communicate the location of food sources.

💡Chromatophores

Chromatophores are pigmented skin cells found in certain animals, such as cuttlefish, which can change color and create patterns on their skin. The video explains that cuttlefish use chromatophores for camouflage or to send warnings to rivals, illustrating the diversity of communication methods in the animal kingdom.

💡Waggle Dance

The waggle dance is a specific movement performed by honeybees to inform other bees about the direction and distance to a food source. The video highlights the complexity of this dance, noting how bees use the dance's moves, angle, duration, and intensity to convey detailed information, demonstrating a form of non-human language with elements of displacement.

💡Discreteness

Discreteness, in the context of language, refers to the existence of individual units, such as sounds or words, that can be combined in various ways to express new ideas. The video uses the analogy of refrigerator poetry magnets to explain this concept and notes that while some animals show discreteness in their communication, none exhibit all the qualities of human language.

💡Grammar

Grammar is a system of rules that defines how words and phrases are constructed to create well-formed sentences in a language. The video discusses the absence of grammar in most animal communication systems, with the exception of some gestures used by dolphins, which indicates a rudimentary form of grammatical understanding.

💡Productivity

Productivity, in linguistic terms, is the ability to generate an infinite number of messages using a finite set of language elements. The video emphasizes that while some animals can convey a variety of messages, none match the productivity of human language, which allows for the creation of entirely new sentences and concepts.

💡Displacement

Displacement is the linguistic ability to refer to things that are not immediately present, such as discussing past events, future plans, or hypothetical scenarios. The video provides examples of bees and prairie dogs using displacement in their communication, but notes that human language excels in this area, allowing for complex discussions about a wide range of topics.

💡Prairie Dogs

Prairie dogs are highlighted in the video for their sophisticated alarm calls that convey detailed information about predators, including size, shape, speed, and even the attire of human predators. This serves as an example of how some animals use communication to convey complex and specific information.

💡Great Apes

Great apes, such as chimpanzees and gorillas, are noted in the video for their advanced communication abilities, with some even learning modified sign language. The video mentions Washoe, a chimpanzee, and Coco, a gorilla, as examples of animals demonstrating elements of language, such as discreteness and displacement, although they are using human systems rather than natural ones.

💡Dolphins

Dolphins are showcased in the video for their use of whistles to identify themselves and communicate information about age, location, and gender. The video also mentions that dolphins can understand some aspects of a gestural language used by researchers, indicating a level of grammatical comprehension in a non-human species.

💡Human Language

Human language is distinguished in the video by its unique combination of grammar, productivity, discreteness, and displacement. It is highlighted as superior to animal communication in terms of complexity and flexibility, with the ability to create and understand sentences that have never been spoken before and to discuss a virtually limitless range of subjects.

Highlights

Animals communicate in various ways, such as crabs waving claws and cuttlefish using chromatophores for patterns.

Honeybees perform complex dances to communicate the location and quality of food sources.

Four qualities often associated with language are discreteness, grammar, productivity, and displacement.

Discreteness refers to a set of individual units that can be combined to communicate new ideas.

Grammar provides a system of rules for combining language units.

Productivity is the ability to create an infinite number of messages using language.

Displacement allows talking about things not immediately present, like past or fictional events.

Crabs and cuttlefish do not exhibit the qualities of language as they do not combine signals creatively.

Bees use the waggle dance to describe the location and richness of food sources, exhibiting displacement.

Prairie dogs use alarm calls to indicate predator characteristics, showing a form of language.

Great apes like chimps and gorillas are capable of using modified sign language.

A chimpanzee named Washoe demonstrated discreteness by combining multiple signs into original phrases.

Coco, a female gorilla, showed displacement by referring to a past event involving a deceased kitten.

Dolphins use whistles for identification and can understand some grammar in a gestural language.

No animal communication system displays all four language qualities identified.

Animals' topics of conversation are usually limited compared to the broad range of human language.

Human language is unique due to its powerful combination of grammar, productivity, discreteness, and displacement.

Research suggests that human language and animal communication may exist on a continuum.

Transcripts

All animals communicate.

Crabs wave their claws at each other to signal that they're healthy

and ready to mate.

Cuttlefish use pigmented skin cells called chromatophores

to create patterns on their skin that act as camouflage

or warnings to rivals.

Honeybees perform complex dances

to let other bees know the location and quality of a food source.

All of these animals have impressive communication systems,

but do they have language?

To answer that question,

we can look at four specific qualities that are often associated with language:

discreteness,

grammar,

productivity,

and displacement.

Discreteness means that there is a set of individual units,

such as sounds or words,

that can be combined to communicate new ideas,

like a set of refrigerator poetry magnets you can rearrange

to create different phrases.

Grammar provides a system of rules

that tells you how to combine those individual units.

Productivity is the ability to use language

to create an infinite number of messages.

And displacement is the ability to talk about things

that aren't right in front of you,

such as past, future, or fictional events.

So, does animal communication exhibit any of these qualities?

For crabs and cuttlefish, the answer is no.

They don't combine their signals in creative ways.

Those signals also don't have to be in a grammatical order,

and they only communicate current conditions,

like, "I am healthy," or "I am poisonous."

But some animals actually do display some of these properties.

Bees use the moves, angle, duration, and intensity of their waggle dance

to describe the location and richness of a food source.

That source is outside the hive,

so they exhibit the property of displacement.

They share that language trait with prairie dogs,

which live in towns of thousands,

and are hunted by coyotes, hawks, badgers, snakes, and humans.

Their alarms calls indicate the predator's size, shape, speed,

and, even for human predators, what the person is wearing

and if he's carrying a gun.

Great apes, like chimps and gorillas, are great communicators, too.

Some have even learned a modified sign language.

A chimpanzee named Washoe demonstrated discreteness

by combining multiple signs into original phrases,

like, "Please open. Hurry."

Coco, a female gorilla who understands more than 1000 signs,

and around 2000 words of spoken English

referred to a beloved kitten that had died.

In doing so, she displayed displacement,

though it's worth noting that the apes in both of these examples

were using a human communication system,

not one that appeared naturally in the wild.

There are many other examples of sophisticated animal communication,

such as in dolphins,

which use whistles to identify age, location, names, and gender.

They can also understand some grammar

in a gestural language researchers use to communicate with them.

However, grammar is not seen in the dolphin's natural communication.

While these communication systems

may have some of the qualities of language we've identified,

none display all four.

Even Washoe and Coco's impressive abilities are still outpaced

by the language skills of most three-year-old humans.

And animals' topics of conversation are usually limited.

Bees talk about food,

prairie dogs talk about predators,

and crabs talk about themselves.

Human language stands alone

due to the powerful combination of grammar and productivity,

on top of discreteness and displacement.

The human brain can take a finite number of elements

and create an infinite number of messages.

We can craft and understand complex sentences,

as well as words that have never been spoken before.

We can use language to communicate about an endless range of subjects,

talk about imaginary things,

and even lie.

Research continues to reveal more and more about animal communication.

It may turn out that human language and animal communication

aren't entirely different but exist on a continuum.

After all, we are all animals.