HESP120 Module 12- Animal communication

Design features of a language

• Symbolic; mostly non-iconic

• Infinitely creative

• Hierarchically-structured

• Rule-governed

• Spontaneously acquired by infants

Symbolic

A feature of language wherein symbols (words) represent ideas or concepts, mostly non-iconic.

Hierarchically-structured

Language is structured in levels, where smaller components combine to form larger grammatical units.

Rule-governed

Languages operate according to specific rules that guide the combination and structure of words.

Spontaneously acquired by infants

Children naturally learn their native language without formal instruction, facilitated by innate mechanisms.

Human language

A discrete combinatorial system allowing for an unlimited number and types of messages.

Discrete combinatorial system

A system where language elements can be combined in various ways to create new meanings.

Communication tied to immediate survival

Animal communication

Bee communication - Dance

Communicate the distance and location of food sources.

Infinitely variable but semantically limited.

Primate communication - East African Vervet Monkey

Unique calls for different predators

Combining innate and learned behaviors (refining when to use)

Symbolic, stimulus-bound (no displacement), and non-combinational (limited messages)

Ambiguous signals

Messages that can be interpreted in multiple ways, commonly found in human language

Innate communication systems

Many animal communication systems are instinctual and not taught or learned.

Bird communication - Calls vs. Songs

Calls- simple, serve immediate functions, innate

Songs- complex, for mating, innate

stimulus-bound (no displacement) and non-combinational (limited messages)

Complexity of vocalization

The level of complexity in vocalizations varies across species, affecting how they communicate.

Requests, jokes, poetry, sarcasm, lies, reports, threats

Examples of the wide range of messages that human language can convey, unlike animal communication which is narrowly focused