E3 Writer's Mark : Do Animals Have Language?

Thursday, March 10, 2022

Do Animals Have Language?

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Discreteness: Language is built up from discrete units (signs, words, sounds) that can be combined in order to communicate new ideas. *2

What is meant by discreteness of human language? A major difference between animal language and human language is the discreteness of human language. This refers to the uniqueness of the sounds used in human languages. Every language use a set of different sounds. Each of these sounds is different from the rest and are combined to form new meanings. A sound can be repeated, or combined with another to form a new meaning. But, animal languages do not have this feature of discreteness.*1

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Grammar: a complex system of rules that indicate us how to combine such discrete units in our language. *2

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Displacement: refers to the ability to communicate about things or events that are distant in time or space

What is meant by displacement feature of human language? A major difference between animal language and human language is the displacement feature of human language. It means that human language can overcome the limitations of time and space. Animal communication is designed for here and now. But, human language can relate to events removed in time and space.*1

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Productivity: refers to the ability to produce and understand an infinite number of messages by combining the units differently. *2

What is meant by productivity of human language? A major difference between animal language and human language is the productivity of human language. This refers to the human ability to combine limited linguistic signs to produce new sentences and expressions. Animals are incapable of this as animal signals have fixed reference.*1

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Footnotes

*1Dr. Joseph Koyippally (College of Education, University of Hail)

239, English Department, College of Education, University of Hail, Saudi Arabia

from his class: ENG 252: Introduction to Linguistics (Chapter 3: Properties of Language)

*2 Dr. Bishop

According to Dr Bishop there are animals who display some of the qualities, e.g. with their waggle dance, the bees exhibit the property of displacement and great apes like chimpanzee have learnt a modified sign language and demonstrated discreteness, as they are able to combine multiple signs into phrases. The video shows other examples of animal communication systems that display some of the qualities required to be considered a language but none actually gathers all four.

Sources

https://termcoord.eu/2017/04/video-fix-do-animals-have-language/

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BUILDING BLOCK EXAMPLE SENTENCES

w/w The boy who helped me yesterday is in my history class.

w/w The book, which I read last week, was very interesting.

bc The teacher is happy because everyone worked hard in class.

ly She spoke softly to the frightened kitten.

www.asia (when while where as since if although)

Take your coat when you leave.
I will watch your luggage while you rest.
He is working where the fence broke yesterday.
My brother sings as he does his homework.
She has been much happier since the bully left the school.
Do not drag your feet if you want to be on time.
My mother is a great cook although we do not always appreciate it.

prep The puppy in the pet store window won my heart.

PA The challenge was invigorating.

VV Do not procrastinate!

ENHANCEMENTs

(MET) metaphor

(SIM) simile

(ALLIT) alliteration

(ASON) assonance

repetition of vowels sounds w/o rhyming

(Q) Rhetorical Question

(QUOTE) Quote

(T/C-VSS) very short sentences T/C

(4-SHADOW) Foreshadowing

(4-LANG) Foreign Lang. phrase

(LIT) Literary allusion/reference

(HIS) Historical allusion/reference

(ARTs) Art, Music, Dance allusion/reference

(RPC) Retro & Pop Culture reference

(IDIOM) Figurative Expression

meaning not deducible by the individual words

(ANALOGY) comparison of relationships

set up specifically: teacher is to student; coach is to player

(PUN) Word Play usually humorous

(HYP) Hyperbole

(A+) Appositive invisible w/w

noun or phrase that renames/describes noun

M3 Examples

(M3-adj) The rolling, tumbling, cascading river took him, and he worked hard to stay afloat. (This could also be indicated as M3-ing)

(M3-adj) The sky was a beautiful, bright, blue dome dotted with fluffy white clouds.

(This could also be indicated as an ALLIT)

(M3-ly) My dance teacher told me to move gracefully, confidently, and joyfully.

(M3-7) Amused, charmed, and pleased by the birthday riddle, my uncle chortled in his joy.

(M3-7) Frustrated, frightened, and tired, the child hid under his bed and cried.

(M3-vb) He walked across the bridge, looked out over the edge, and smiled with happiness.

(M3-4) Standing, balancing, and grinning, my ten month old brother gleefully reached for my outstretched hands.

(M3-n) The boys visited shelters, orphanages, and retirement homes in their mission to bring Christmas joy to those who might be lonely.

(M3-n) She won the accolades of her peers, the admiration of her siblings, and the approval of her parents when her book hit the bestseller list. (noun phrases)

(M3-intj) And just like that . . . pow, zap, bang, she disappeared in a cloud of smoke. This could also be indicated as (M3-o)

(M3-intj) What? Yikes! No! When I opened the door, an avalanche of shoes poured down from the mountain of footwear in his closet.

(M3-o) He heard the logs on the fire sizzle, crack, and pop as they warmed the room that cold winter day.

(M3 vss) Rain pounded on the windows. Thunder violently boomed and crashed. Lightning streaked the sky.

OWLs

• Anaphora: Repeats a word or phrase at the start of every line or passage. (I Have a Dream - MLK)

• Anthimeria: Uses one part of speech in place of another. BEWARE! It can easily become silly and is often overused.

• Antiphrasis: uses a word with an opposite meaning for ironic or humorous effect. "We named our chihuahua Goliath."

• Appositive: places a noun or noun phrase next to another noun for descriptive purposes.

• Chiasmus: reverses of the order of words in the second of two parallel phrases or sentences. A chiasmus reverses grammatical structure, not necessarily w/ the exact same words.

* Antimetabole: reverses the EXACT SAME words in the sentence

• Epanalepsis: repeats a similar grouping of words at the beginning of a sentence and at the end. The repeated words act as "bookends.

• Epistrophe (AKA: Epiphora): repeats ending words (Gettysburg Address)

• Epizeuxis: repeats one word for emphasis

• Hyperbole: greatly exaggerates something for emphasis

• Metanoia: corrects or qualifies a statement to strengthen it or soften it in some way.

• Personification: is figurative.

It projects characteristics that normally belong only to humans onto inanimate objects, animals, deities, or forces of nature. Personification is figurative.

• Anthropomorphism is literal.

With anthropomorphism the non-human entities actually do human things. (Thomas the Tank Engine, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Rabbit)

Thursday, March 10, 2022

Do Animals Have Language?

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