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.