Linguistics Animal Languages

Linguistics -Animal Languages

1. Animal “Languages”
LANG501 - LINGUISTICS
Presented by :
CHRISTINE JOANNE LIBRERO-DESACADO
PhD in English, BSU
21 JUNE 2015
DR. MATILDA DIMAANO
LANG501 Professor

2. Animal “Languages”
“An animal's eyes
have the power
to speak a great
language.”
― Martin Buber

3. Can communication exist
without language?

4. Is language the exclusive property
of the human species?

5. For instance, when in distress, the dolphin emits two
whistles over and over again—one getting gradually
louder, the other getting gradually softer. It silences
any nearby dolphins and causes them to search for
the source. Once found, that dolphin is pushed to the
surface and a complex exchange of signals occurs.
For beings who do not have their own
language, communication can still exist.

6. The idea of talking animals is as old and
widespread among societies
as language itself. All cultures have
legends in which some animals
plays a speaking role.

7. If language is viewed only as a system of communication,
then many species communicate. Humans also use
systems other than language To relate to each other and
to send and receive “messages” like so-called
body language.

8. “Talking “Parrot
Most humans who acquire language use
speech sounds to express meanings, but
such sounds are not necessary aspect
of language, as evidenced by the
sign language.

9. The chirping of birds, the
squeaking of dolphins,
and the dancing of
Bees may potentially
represent systems similar
to human languages. If
animal communication
systems are not like
human language, it is not
because of a lack of
speech.

10. When animals
vocally imitate
human utterances, it
does not
mean they possess
language.
Language is a
system that
relates sounds or
gestures
to meanings.

11. Talking birds such as parrots
and mynahs are capable of
faithfully reproducing words
and phrases of human language
that they heard, but their
utterances carry no meaning.
They are speaking
neither English nor
like their own
language
when they sound
like us.

12. Most animals possess
some kind of “signaling”
communication
system.
You Tube Video
Can Animals Talk? –
the linguistics behind
animal language
Viewing Activity

14. Descartes goes on to state
that one of the major
differences between humans and
animals is that human use of
language is not just response
to external, or even
internal, stimuli, as are
the sounds and gestures of animals.

15. Descartes also warns against confusing
human language
with “natural movements
which betray passions and maybe…
manifested by animals.”

16. Can Chimps Learn Human Language?

17. In their natural habitat,
chimpanzees, gorillas, and other
nonhuman primates
communicate with each other
through visual, auditory,
olfactory, and tactile signals.
however, the natural sounds
and gestures produced by all
nonhuman primates are
highly stereotyped
and limited in the type and number
of messages they convey,
consisting mainly of
emotional responses to
particular situations.
They have no way of
expressing the anger they felt yesterday
or the anticipation of tomorrow.

18. Viewing Time:
How to Speak
Chimpanzee -
Extraordinary
Animals -
Series 2 –
Earth*
Chimpanzee Communication

20. "The best thing about
animals is that they don't
talk much."
~ Thornton Wilder
end of discussion