Lecture 6 Flashcards
Is language just a human characteristic
All animals communicate; olfactory (pheromones/smells - choose preferred partners through olfaction), tactile (punches/scratches), visual (facial expression), auditory (vocalisations/speech).
What is the model of communcation
Olfactory, tactile, visual and auditory communication; they all work together too. The multimodel of communication is when two or more methods are being used
Discuss what Hockett (1960) found about language
Language is referential (sounds refer to external object or events in the environment and is very specific).
Language is syntactical - has a grammatical structure.
Language is non-iconic (words do not resemble objects)
Finally, language is learned and not instinctive.
Is referential language just in humans?
No. Vervet monkey’s give alarm calls and they are different for different types of predator so the group know how to respond appropriately (Seyfarth et al., 1980).
Chimpanzees scream differently too in order to go to the right food source (Slocombe & Zuberbuhler, 2005)
Is syntactical language just in humans?
No. Putty-nosed monkeys (Arnold & Zuberbuhler, 2008); different types of calls used in different contexts. When these calls are used on their own, the group doesn’t tend to respond, however when used together the group tends to travel (Pyows & Hacks).
Is language learned in non-human animals too?
Although this is hard to test, yes. (Capuchins alarm calls, Wheeler et al., 2008). They learned to produce alarm calls voluntarily. In a food context, alarm calls are given more by subordinates than dominants, as dominants are more likely to win the competition to get the food.
How does human language differ from animal communication
More complex and flexible. It is more intentional and productive (we can generate new words).
Why did human language evolve?
Exchange information; instructing others, informing them about the environment; language evolved alongside the brain getting larger.
Human’s are much more cooperative and language makes this easier.
Animals don’t have the organs that we use in language.
We use language for social information; people talk about social things. This idea suggests hunting does not require language and tool construction is easiest by demonstration.
Social complexity hypothesis
Discuss social complexity hypothesis
Groups with complex social systems require more complex communicative systems. BUT how do we measure complexity?
Larger groups have more complex communicative repertoire, but this hypothesis is a correlation making it harder to find cause and effect. If you live in a large group, communication is more complex, and if you are good at communication you are more likely to survive and have surviving offspring.
Also, more tolerant species have more complex repertoire of gestures (Maestripieri, 1999) and facial expressions (Dobson, 2012).
How did language evolve in terms of gestural origins
Tomasello, 2008 found non-human primates use gestures in a complex way. They are more flexible than facial expressions and vocalisations, there was a combination of gestures in sequences and there was a large importance on receivers attentional state. However, if gestures are so complex and efficient why do we need speech?
Discuss the gestural origins of language in terms of neurology
Mirror neurons located in area F5 in rhesus macaques; these tend to respond to seeing and giving gestures and not speech. It is very specific just to hand gestures; the same results were not found when a tool was used instead of a hand. However, the findings have been replicated with facial expressions. This can be used to recognise that another performs and action, and to differentiate one action from another, as well as to use the information to act appropriately.
What are the vocal origins of language
Simple elaboration of primate vocal patterns. Primate calls can be semantic and referential and even present evidence of syntax. But it seems very tightly linked to internal state and lack of control.
Speech like vocalised lip-smack in geladas and rhesus macaques. Lip-smacking is the substrate for the evolution of speech.
Discuss the multimodal origins of language with Slocombe et al’s., 2011 findings
We should be looking at the communication system as an integrated system. Many animals use a combination of signals from different sensory modalities. They are more complicated but more realistic. Human’s communication is multimodal and there is a potential for complexity.
What is the multimodal communication framework (Partan & Marler, 1999)
If you take two signals, and separately they have the same effect, but when combined they either have the same effect or more likely they enhance the signal and response. This is the same when the two signals mean the same thing or when they mean different things (Redundancy and non-redundancy). Micheletta et al, 2013 found this in macaques: vocal lip-smack is more likely to be followed by friendly contact and the signal value is enhanced.
Is language social?
Dunbar, 1993, 1996 suggested that language is evolved to support cohesion within large social groups. Primates use grooming as a mechanism to bond within a social group. Language is an efficient method of social bonding. Smaller groups use grooming as a method of social bond making, however when the group size is too large for this an alternative was needed; language.
