review from last class
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Review from last class. What is meant by the terms: 1. Linguistic competence 2. Linguistic performance What is grammar? What is grammar for? Is language possible without grammar? What is meant by the term: Prescriptivism? What is Descriptivism?. Animal Languages(?) A linguistic analysis. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
What is meant by the terms: 1. Linguistic competence 2. Linguistic performance What is grammar? What is grammar for? Is language possible without grammar? What is meant by the term: Prescriptivism? What is Descriptivism?
Review from last class
Animal Languages(?)A linguistic analysis
What can a dog communicate to you? Alertness Anger Depression/sadness Excitement Fear Friendliness
Happiness Hunger/thirst Immediate need Interest Playfulness Warning/threat Frustration
Birdsong can, just like human language, be culturally transmitted, and geographical “dialects” are common (Wiener, 1986)
Birdsongs
have a set of three distinct alarm calls, used for three different predators (snakes, leopards, and eagles)
Not iconic: don’t represent imitation of the predator sound.
Vervet Monkeys
Karl von Frisch (1920) Reporting of food sources through dancing Quality, distance, direction “round dance” for 50m radius “tail wagging” for more than 50m
Honey Bees
Can animals be taught how to communicate with human-like language?
Teaching animals language
Able to memorize words and learn phrases Able to comprehend (limited) and respond
to commands Able to communicate using
elements of human language Can parrots really “talk”?
Talking parrots
Early studies with chimpanzees –mixed results
Bonobos more adept at language learning than common chimps
Parallels to language learning of human infants: ◦ early exposure to language vital◦ formal teaching is not necessary
Kanzi the Bonobo
Similarities to Humans Language device: Noam Chomsky
Kanzi & Humans
Design feature 1:Semanticity: In human language the elements of the message have specific and fixed relation to real-world situations.A message must be understood in the same way by different receivers.
Design feature 2:Arbitrariness: there is no logical connection between the form of the signal and its meaning.
Design features of human language
Design feature 3: Discreteness: Human language uses a small set of discrete contrastive elements.
Design feature 4:Displacement/freedom from stimulus: In human language it is possible to talk about events remote in time and place.
Design features of human language
Design feature 5: Productivity: In human language, new messages can be produced from the elements of familiar messages; there is no fixed set of possible messages
Design feature 6: Cultural transmission: the conventions of a language are learned by interacting with more experienced users.
Design features of human language
Design feature 7: Dual articulation/duality of patterning: In human language, sounds can go together to make up words, words can go together to make up sentences. (In sign language, there is something similar.
Design feature 8: Prevarication: linguistic messages can be false, deceptive, or meaningless.
Design features of human language
Design feature 9: Reflexiveness: In a language, one can communicate about communication.
Design feature 10: Learnability: A speaker of a language can learn another language.
Design features of human language
In groups of 4, talk about the individual animals, fill out the form and discuss whether you think any of them is capable of learning/using language in the human sense.
Which of Hockett’s design features are only found in human language?
Exercise
Feature Bird-song Vervet Monkeys
Honey bee
‘Talking’ Parrots
Signing Apes
Semanticity
Displacement/freedom from stimulus
Productivity
Dual articulation/duality of patterning
Discreteness
Arbitrariness
Tradition
Learn ability
Reflectiveness
Prevarication
There is a difference between communicating and the ability to use language.
Animals may be able to use/learn certain aspects of human language but only in a very limited way.
While some animals show trait marks of Hockett’s design features, none of them satisfies all criteria.
Conclusion