ANIMAL LANGUAGE COMMUNICATION

Group Members:

Ahsen Aamir Murad

Jawaria Hameed

Kanza Afzal

Saad Nasir Chandna

Presented to:

Dr. Zeenat Ismael

Dated : 25th November 2010

Communication

“Communication consists of exchanges of information between a sender and a receiver using a code of specific signals that usually serve to meet common challenges (reproduction, feeding, protection) and, in group-living species, to promote cohesiveness of the group.” (Vauclair,1996)

Characteristics of language

interchangeability specialization discreteness arbitrariness of units displacement semanticity productivity traditional (cultural) transmission

Concept of animal communication

Without question, nonhuman animals DO communicate.

Most species send signals, issue warnings, respond to threats, share the location for food etc.

While a concept of communication is too broad, a concept of “speech” is too narrow for considering the form of information transferring in animals.

Approaches

Three main experimental approaches have been employed for studying animals language communication.

Direct decoding of animals’ communication

Use of intermediary languages for communication with animals.

Application of ideas and concepts of information processing theory.

First approach(decoding of animals’ communication)

Two types of natural communication systems have been deciphered till now: Fragments of honeybees “dance language” Acoustic signalization in various species

The decoded “words” concern alarm calls, calls for cohesion and signals about food.

Honeybees appear to interpret the meaning of messages they receive.

The wild acoustic communication does not meet several important linguistic criteria such as displacement and productivity.

Second approach(dialogue with animals)

An intermediary language is devised to communicate with animals in language-training programs.

Dialogue with animals has revealed astonishing ‘linguistic potential’ in them.

Properties of developed-language such as categorization, creativity and displacement have been observed.

Third approach(information processing theory)

This approach is designed to study quantitative characteristics of natural communicative systems and important properties of animal intelligence.

This approach proves that ants,like honeybees, are able to inform their nest mates about remote events,and their communication system is rather rational and flexible.

Examples of animal communication Bees dance when they have

found nectar. Chimpanzees greet each other

by touching hands. Prairie dog calls for four

predators—human, hawk, coyote and domestic dog by different vocal signals.

Rhesus macaques produce five acoustically distinctive vocalizations when they find food.

RESEARCH ON ELEPHANT COMMUNICATION

Analysis of animal language studies

Non-human animals cannot use language in ways that are considered unique and they have a limited range of ideas.

Comprehension of human language by non-human animals might just be a result of operant conditioning. The imitation of human symbols could only be to achieve rewards.

But still current evidence suggests that animals can learn and use many forms of language but their language is less complex and creative.

THE ENDArticle reference: zhanna reznikova

Journal: Ebcohost

Received: 6 September 2006 / Revised: 22 December 2006 / Accepted: 9 January 2007 / Published online: 3 February 2007

© Springer-Verlag and ISPA 2007