Human language and Animal communication

                                   Unit - 2

   Animal communication and Human Language

Introduction :  Human verbal communication involves the use of language, which entails the construction of grammatically correct phrases through the combination of words. Animal communication lacks complex grammar, but animals are capable of understanding one other through various forms of communication.

 

So the purpose,of any language is communication but what varies,between ...., When humans communicate verbally, they employ language, which involves the skill of constructing grammatically accurate sentences by combining words. Animal communication does not rely on intricate grammar, however animals are capable of comprehending one another through alternative modes of communication.

 

Properties of Human Language : 

Language traits are rare in other living things' communication systems.

 i) Displacement :

The ability of most animals to communicate is limited to the immediate area. A bird vocalizes its alarm call just in the presence of imminent danger. It is incapable of providing information regarding past or future dangers. Unlike other forms of communication, human language has the ability to convey information about both present and absent entities with equal ease. The term used to describe this characteristic of human language is displacement. 

 

Language enables individuals to discuss events and objects that are not now inside their immediate surroundings. Animal communication is typically regarded as lacking this characteristic.This linguistic capability enables humans to generate works of fiction and articulate hypothetical future realms.

 

Creativity : It's related to the fact that human languages have endless utterances. Productivity is the speaker's capacity to integrate basic linguistic units. In contrast, all animal signals have a defined reference, indicating a specific object or event.This serves a basic understanding,variation between Animal communication and human language.

Arbitrariness :  Most sounds made by non-human animal's lack arbitrariness.Some animals, however, are capable of communicating arbitrarily,for example a dog barks,wolf howls they are,as a medium of communication,they use their vocals.Types of Animal communication: The mode of animal communication,broadly based on,signals, includes visual; auditory, or sound-based; chemical, involving pheromones; or  touch and sensory -based, cues.

 

Duality and Patterning : Duality and Patterning also called as double articulation,refers to the twofold structure of the stream of speech,consists of small unit of meaningless soundunits (phonems) in order to produce large units (morphèmes)