Animal language
complex animal communication
Certain animals use complex patterns to communicate with each other. These patterns have been called animal language. In many ways, they are similar to human language. That way, animal can use signing, or sounds. Sometimes, they use chemical compounds. Animal language has many of the same properties as human language:[1]
- It is arbitrary. There's no relation between a sound or sign and its meaning.
- It is composed of small parts that are put together to form a message. These small parts are called morphemes.
- Language can be about things that aren't close by.
- The smallest units with meaning (the morphemes above) are composed of parts that have no meaning on their own.
- Users can produce and understand arbitrarily long messages
- Specific signs or sounds have a specific meaning.
Examples of languages
change- Most primates use language. These cases have been studied a lot.
- Bird songs
- Bees use the waggle dance
- African forest elephants
- Mustached bats live in the dark, they communicate a lot.
- Prairie dogs
- Dolphins and whales
- Sea lions
- Caribbean reef squid
References
change- ↑ Denham, Kristin; Lobeck, Anne (2010). Linguistics for Everyone: An Introduction (Instructor's ed.). Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. pp. 4–5. ISBN 9781428205833.
