Ch 16 - Animal Communication

Question 1

sign

Answer 1

unit of communication structure that consists of two parts: signifier and signified

Question 2

signifier

Answer 2

that part of a sign that stimulates at least one sense organ of the receiver of a msg

Question 3

signified

Answer 3

refers both the real world object it represents and its conceptual content

Question 4

meaning

Answer 4

the msg of content that a sign conveys

Question 5

tokens

Answer 5

individual instances of signs

Question 6

iconic sign

Answer 6

icons; always bears some resemblance to its referent (eg a picture of a woman on a washroom door)

Question 7

indexical sign

Answer 7

a sign that fulfills its function by pointing out its referent, typically by being a partial sample of it (eg the track of an animal)

Question 8

symbolic sign

Answer 8

a sign that bears an arbitrary relationship to its referent (eg a stop sign, non-onomatopoeic words)

Question 9

mixed sign

Answer 9

?

Question 10

signal

Answer 10

a sign that triggers a specific action on the part of the receiver (eg traffic lights)

Question 11

graded sign

Answer 11

a sign that conveys its meaning by changes in degree (eg voice volume, a blush)

Question 12

discrete sign

Answer 12

a sign that is distinguished from other signs by stepwise differences (eg voiced and voiceless sounds, the numbers of a digital clock)

Question 13

stimulus-bound communication

Answer 13

communication that only occurs when it is triggered by exposure to a certain stimulus or for certain specific ends (eg the warning call of a bird)

Question 14

redundancy

Answer 14

the use of different modalities to convey the same info

Question 15

call

Answer 15

in avian communication, short bursts of sound or simple patterns of notes, typically used as warnings or other group-related signals

Question 16

song

Answer 16

in avian communication, lengthy elaborate patterns of mostly pitched sounds

Question 17

dressage

Answer 17

a type of interaction btwn trainer and animal that depends on the animal’s interpreting subtle cues given by the trainer

Question 18

double-blind test

Answer 18

a type of test used in ape language studies in which the researcher is prevented from seeing the stimulus shown to the ape to avoid cueing certain behaviours

Question 19

design features

Answer 19

characteristics of human language that are used to compare animal communication systems w/ human language

Question 20

interchangeability

Answer 20

all members of the species can both send and receive msgs

Question 21

feedback

Answer 21

users of the system are aware of what they are transmitting

Question 22

specialization

Answer 22

the communication system serves no other function but to communicate

Question 23

semanticity

Answer 23

the system conveys meaning through a set of fixed relationships among signifiers, references and meanings

Question 24

arbitrariness

Answer 24

there is no natural or inherent connection btwn a token and its referent

Question 25

discreteness

Answer 25

the communication system consists of isolatable, repeatable units

Question 26

displacement

Answer 26

users of the system are able to refer to events remote in space and time

Question 27

productivity

Answer 27

new msgs on any topic can be produced at any time

Question 28

duality of patterning

Answer 28

meaningless units (phonemes) are combined to form arbitrary signs

Question 29

tradition

Answer 29

at least certain aspects of the system must be transmitted from an experienced user to a learner

Question 30

prevarication

Answer 30

the system enables the users to talk nonsense or to lie

Question 31

learnability

Answer 31

a user of the system can learn other variants

Question 32

reflexiveness

Answer 32

the ability to use the communication system to discuss the system itself