Notes
Defining Language
Language is a method for communicating information, including ideas, thoughts, and emotions.
Unusual Language
• Bees have a little dance that tells other bees where a source of nectar can be found
• Music is a universal language that often strikes the same emotion in all humans
• Players in card games will use their bids as communication
• Body language
• Flowers
Comprehension
• Information can be communicated only if both the sender and receiver understand what is going on
• Vervet Monkeys-different alarm calls for the different types of predators: this elicits a different response in the group of monkeys as they respond to the threat of the predator
• --Young vervet monkeys react approprietley to the different calls but their production lags behind their understanding of the meaning of the calls (similarly in humans comprehension precedes production) Sometimes the young monkeys make a snake alarm call when they see a stick o generalization
• semanticity- refers to the extent to which a form of communication can meaningfully represent ideas, events, and objects symbolically o The honeybee has a low level of semanticit because it uses symbols to transmit meaningful messages, but it has a limited selection of symbols and only conveys distance and direction information o Vervet monkeys show a moderate level of semanticity because their alarm calls are actually basic semantic signals or symbolic signals because each alarm call seems to mean something to them o A flower arrangement given to someone who understands the meaning of flowers is a high level of semanticity because you can use roses for achievement, lilies for elegance, etc.
• Having a large vocabulary makes it possible for more complicated and powerful ideas, However we don’t need a word for everything. Instead language combines a limited number of words and a few rules to convey many ideas-this is called generativity
• We have this ability to communicate
Language is a method for communicating information, including ideas, thoughts, and emotions.
Unusual Language
• Bees have a little dance that tells other bees where a source of nectar can be found
• Music is a universal language that often strikes the same emotion in all humans
• Players in card games will use their bids as communication
• Body language
• Flowers
Comprehension
• Information can be communicated only if both the sender and receiver understand what is going on
• Vervet Monkeys-different alarm calls for the different types of predators: this elicits a different response in the group of monkeys as they respond to the threat of the predator
• --Young vervet monkeys react approprietley to the different calls but their production lags behind their understanding of the meaning of the calls (similarly in humans comprehension precedes production) Sometimes the young monkeys make a snake alarm call when they see a stick o generalization
• semanticity- refers to the extent to which a form of communication can meaningfully represent ideas, events, and objects symbolically o The honeybee has a low level of semanticit because it uses symbols to transmit meaningful messages, but it has a limited selection of symbols and only conveys distance and direction information o Vervet monkeys show a moderate level of semanticity because their alarm calls are actually basic semantic signals or symbolic signals because each alarm call seems to mean something to them o A flower arrangement given to someone who understands the meaning of flowers is a high level of semanticity because you can use roses for achievement, lilies for elegance, etc.
• Having a large vocabulary makes it possible for more complicated and powerful ideas, However we don’t need a word for everything. Instead language combines a limited number of words and a few rules to convey many ideas-this is called generativity
• We have this ability to communicate