FRANS de WAAL: language and cognition (Introduction)

by David Turell , Sunday, January 15, 2017, 15:30 (2651 days ago) @ dhw

FRANZ DE WAAL: You won’t often hear me say something like this, but I consider humans the only linguistic species. We honestly have no evidence for symbolic communication, equally rich and multifunctional as ours, outside our species. (David’s bold)

QUOTE: "Honeybees accurately signal distant nectar locations to the hive, and monkeys might utter calls in predictable sequences that resemble rudimentary syntax. The most intriguing parallel is perhaps referential signalling. Vervet monkeys on the plains of Kenya have distinct alarm calls for a leopard, an eagle or a snake. These predator-specific calls constitute a life-saving communication system, because different dangers demand different responses. For example, the right response to a snake alarm is to stand upright in the tall grass and look around, which would be suicidal if a leopard lurks in the grass. Instead of having special calls, some other monkey species combine the same calls in different ways under different circumstances. You wouldn’t call it language, but it unquestionably carries rich meaning."

dhw:I’m a great fan of de Waal’s, but this is a subject that depends totally on definition. If by language you mean a sophisticated system of words and syntax, you can almost say we are the only linguistic species. If by language you mean a method of communication (as in expressions like animal language, bird language, dolphin language, ape language), all species are “linguistic”. I said “almost” above, because the example of the vervet monkeys shows a clear similarity to human language: they make sounds which distinguish between different animals – so you might just as well call those sounds words. Infinitely less sophisticated, but following the same principle as human language: sounds used to convey meaning.

By expanding the word linguistic to include all meaningful sounds you are correct. My dog is no different than the monkeys. He barks (warning), he growls (beware, back off), he howls (I'm lonely), etc.