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Questions and Answers
Animal communication focuses on the past, present, and future.
Animal communication focuses on the past, present, and future.
False (B)
Humans have the ability to communicate about events that are not happening in the present moment.
Humans have the ability to communicate about events that are not happening in the present moment.
True (A)
Animal communication typically involves complex grammatical structures.
Animal communication typically involves complex grammatical structures.
False (B)
Humans can use language to discuss hypothetical situations.
Humans can use language to discuss hypothetical situations.
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Animal communication is primarily designed for abstract concepts.
Animal communication is primarily designed for abstract concepts.
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Phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics are all considered subfields of applied linguistics.
Phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics are all considered subfields of applied linguistics.
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Sociolinguistics investigates how social factors influence language use.
Sociolinguistics investigates how social factors influence language use.
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Computational linguistics aims to develop computer programs that can understand and process human language.
Computational linguistics aims to develop computer programs that can understand and process human language.
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Historical linguistics studies the origin and development of languages over time.
Historical linguistics studies the origin and development of languages over time.
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Language acquisition explores how children learn language.
Language acquisition explores how children learn language.
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Animals can perform linguistically on a level comparable to a two-year-old child.
Animals can perform linguistically on a level comparable to a two-year-old child.
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Chimpanzees can exhibit behaviors that resemble the use of language.
Chimpanzees can exhibit behaviors that resemble the use of language.
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Both children and chimpanzees use language in the same way.
Both children and chimpanzees use language in the same way.
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The behavior of a two-year-old child can be compared to the behavior of chimpanzees in certain contexts.
The behavior of a two-year-old child can be compared to the behavior of chimpanzees in certain contexts.
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Using language refers exclusively to human communication.
Using language refers exclusively to human communication.
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She invented some forms that include the term 'water bird' which refers to a swan.
She invented some forms that include the term 'water bird' which refers to a swan.
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Animals can communicate in human-like languages without any limitations.
Animals can communicate in human-like languages without any limitations.
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The phrase 'gimme tickle, more fruit' suggests some form of request or desire.
The phrase 'gimme tickle, more fruit' suggests some form of request or desire.
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The term 'open food drink' is commonly understood in the context of beverages.
The term 'open food drink' is commonly understood in the context of beverages.
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Controversies exist regarding the ability of animals to speak human-like languages.
Controversies exist regarding the ability of animals to speak human-like languages.
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Onomatopoeia refers to words that imitate the sounds of the objects they describe.
Onomatopoeia refers to words that imitate the sounds of the objects they describe.
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Arbitrariness in animal communication means there is no connection between a signal and its meaning.
Arbitrariness in animal communication means there is no connection between a signal and its meaning.
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The word 'crash' is an example of onomatopoeia.
The word 'crash' is an example of onomatopoeia.
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In human language, the connection between a word and its meaning is always clear and immediate.
In human language, the connection between a word and its meaning is always clear and immediate.
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The concept of onomatopoeia is exclusive to human language and does not exist in animal communication.
The concept of onomatopoeia is exclusive to human language and does not exist in animal communication.
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Humans inherit language from their parents through genetics.
Humans inherit language from their parents through genetics.
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Cultural transmission involves learning a language from other speakers.
Cultural transmission involves learning a language from other speakers.
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Physical features in humans are transmitted culturally rather than genetically.
Physical features in humans are transmitted culturally rather than genetically.
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Language acquisition requires interaction with a community of speakers.
Language acquisition requires interaction with a community of speakers.
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The ability to speak a language is determined exclusively by parental genes.
The ability to speak a language is determined exclusively by parental genes.
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Study Notes
Introduction to Linguistics - Chapter 2: Animal & Human Language
- Linguistics is the scientific study of language, encompassing what's known when a language is understood.
- Core areas in linguistics include phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.
- Other important areas of linguistics are sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, historical linguistics, language acquisition, psycholinguistics, and computational linguistics.
- A key question in linguistics is whether other creatures can learn to communicate with humans using language.
- Another key question is if human language has unique and distinguishing characteristics compared to other communication systems found in nature.
Communicative and Informative Signals
- Signals can be informative, unintentionally conveying something, or communicative, where the sender intentionally communicates something.
- Examples of human informative signals include a sneeze (indicating illness), shifting around (indicating discomfort), unusual clothing (indicating a problem) or a strange accent (potentially indicating a different origin).
- Examples of human communicative signals include saying "I'm sorry", "I don't think I can make it to the meeting", and other expressions.
- Examples of animal communicative signals include a bird's alarm call (indicating a predator's presence).
Properties of Human Language - Displacement
- Animal communication is usually tied to the immediate situation or event.
- Human language allows communication about things that are not present in the immediate environment (e.g., the past, future, hypothetical situations).
- Humans can use language to discuss abstract concepts or things that don't physically exist.
Properties of Human Language - Arbitrariness (in human language)
- Generally, there's no inherent connection between a language form and its meaning.
- The relationship between words and objects they denote is arbitrary.
- For instance, the word "dog" in English and "کلب" in Arabic have no inherent resemblance to a dog.
- Some words (onomatopoeia) sound like the thing they describe, but their structure is not essential in most cases.
Properties of Human Language – Arbitrariness (in animal communication)
- Animal communication generally has a clear connection between the message and the signal used to convey it.
- Animal communication typically uses a limited set of signals, often linked to specific situations.
Properties of Human Language - Productivity (in humans)
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Human language has an infinite potential to produce new utterances.
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Humans constantly create novel expressions and descriptions by combining existing linguistic elements.
Properties of Human Language - Productivity (in animals)
- Animal communication systems lack the flexibility of human language.
- Typically, animals have a limited, fixed set of signals and cannot create new ones to describe novel situations.
Properties of Human Language - Cultural Transmission (in humans)
- Humans learn language from other people in a social environment - through interaction
- Human's develop their language from their environment and culture.
- Language learning is acquired socially, not genetically.
Properties of Human Language - Cultural Transmission (in animals)
- Animals are born with a set of specific signals that are produced instinctively.
- Unlike humans, animal communication is not learned.
Properties of Human Language - Duality (in humans)
- Human speech is structured at two levels.
- At the first level, individual sounds don't have meaning on their own.
- Combined together in different ways, sounds create meaningful elements like words and phrases.
- This dual nature is economical — one small set of sounds create a large number of distinct words.
Properties of Human Language - Duality (in animals)
- Animal communication signals are fixed and cannot be broken down into smaller meaningful elements
Talking to Animals
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People often think animals understand human language based on their reactions; this is not always the case.
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The animal typically responds in a fixed, programmed manner to a sound stimulus but not based on meaning
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Animals of one species cannot usually learn to produce the sounds of another.
Chimpanzees and Language - Research Studies:
- Some researchers have tried teaching chimpanzees human language using methods such as vocalization shaping, sign language, but these attempts have not resulted in true human-level language skills.
- Significant research by Kellogg, Hayes, and the Gardners used chimpanzees as subjects, but ultimately, no convincing demonstration of their ability to use language has emerged.
The Controversy Surrounding Animal Language
- Can animals speak human-like languages?
- Can animals perform linguistically to a comparable level as a human child of the same age? The answer is no, from documented observations of animal behavior.
Two Ways to Think About "Using Language"
- Human children and animal behavior, may both exhibit some rudimentary forms of communication, however the complexity and creativity of human languages are not observed in other species.
- Language uniquely distinguishes humans from other creatures.
- Homework: review pages 80, and answer questions 1, 2, & 5.
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Description
Explore the fascinating distinctions between animal and human language in this quiz based on Chapter 2 of Introduction to Linguistics. Understand key concepts such as communicative versus informative signals, and the unique features of human language. Test your knowledge and learn about the core areas of linguistics that define how we understand and interact with language.
