This is actually what this community is about. And, so far as I can tell, it really depends on how you define language. Possibly the most decoded natural animal language so far is that of prairie dogs. They have managed to identify sounds that represent nouns, verbs, and adjectives. When you change the color of the shirt of an approaching person, a predictable unit of the prairie dog call changes. They have even found that they have unique sounds for abstract shapes like rectangle and circle, which is especially intriguing since these are the sorts of things that they wouldn’t often come across in nature.
It is true, however, that prairie dogs are doing little more than just labeling. For the more advanced cognitive stuff we need to look at examples such as Koko the gorilla, while we were not able to decode much of a natural gorilla language, Koko did show that she was able to use English at the level of a small child. What she was capable of was way beyond simply labeling. For example, Koko used English sign language to blame a human assistant for breaking the sink in living quarters. She also was able to tell jokes and laugh about them, indicating that she understood what a sense of humor is.
We are probably still a long way from decoding the most advanced non-human communication systems on the planet. The ways that some dolphins combine uniquely identifiable syllables would put the most advanced human beatbocers to shame. While humans generally combine syllables one after the other, dolphins do this while simultaneously combining syllables on top of each other. They have demonstrated abilities as advanced as devising and coordinating a unique, non-rehearsed action between two dolphins after being asked to do so by a human. They both received the command from the human, went underwater, and then returned to perform an agreed upon action together, one which they had neither ever done before.
With advances in machine learning, we may just be very surprised by what we discover is being communicated between the other animals we share the planet with.
Right, but I’d say there’s two aspects to language:
Standardization. Different creatures need to agree on which sounds/symbols/etc. refer to what.
Complexity. The ability to express arbitrary thoughts.
And well, I’d say if 1) is given, that aids us. A cat purring means that cat is content. We don’t need to figure that out anew every time.
But 2) does not aid us. We should have an easier time understanding and responding to simpler thoughts than arbitrarily complex thoughts.
And yet, we’re going straight for arbitrary complexity, while we still have barriers with simple communication, like not even being able to purr back at cats.
There is lots of evidence of animals doing more than making sounds to identify things. Alex, the African Grey parrot had some pretty advanced concepts, such as numbers and even 0. When not in the mood to work, Alex would just make up wrong answers to be left alone, and would show irritation towards other parrots that were not understanding concepts.
Dolphins have shown the ability to creaye, communicate about, and and coordinate tricks that neither of two dolphins had previously performed.
There was an elephant that knew where an animal hospital was despite having had never been, it had been around elephants that had been however, so the assumption is that the location and activities there had been communicated.
These are just a few examples, there are many more instances where animals have been observed doing more than just labeling things with sound. This is actually why this community exists.
Unless I’m mistaken, no other creatures on this planet have a language?
This is actually what this community is about. And, so far as I can tell, it really depends on how you define language. Possibly the most decoded natural animal language so far is that of prairie dogs. They have managed to identify sounds that represent nouns, verbs, and adjectives. When you change the color of the shirt of an approaching person, a predictable unit of the prairie dog call changes. They have even found that they have unique sounds for abstract shapes like rectangle and circle, which is especially intriguing since these are the sorts of things that they wouldn’t often come across in nature.
It is true, however, that prairie dogs are doing little more than just labeling. For the more advanced cognitive stuff we need to look at examples such as Koko the gorilla, while we were not able to decode much of a natural gorilla language, Koko did show that she was able to use English at the level of a small child. What she was capable of was way beyond simply labeling. For example, Koko used English sign language to blame a human assistant for breaking the sink in living quarters. She also was able to tell jokes and laugh about them, indicating that she understood what a sense of humor is.
We are probably still a long way from decoding the most advanced non-human communication systems on the planet. The ways that some dolphins combine uniquely identifiable syllables would put the most advanced human beatbocers to shame. While humans generally combine syllables one after the other, dolphins do this while simultaneously combining syllables on top of each other. They have demonstrated abilities as advanced as devising and coordinating a unique, non-rehearsed action between two dolphins after being asked to do so by a human. They both received the command from the human, went underwater, and then returned to perform an agreed upon action together, one which they had neither ever done before.
With advances in machine learning, we may just be very surprised by what we discover is being communicated between the other animals we share the planet with.
Whales definitely do. They even have regional accents. It probably isn’t as complex as ours, but we can’t even understand that.
Whales make sounds and can “say” some things, but that’s not a language any more than my dog barking at me to feed him is.
Language is more complex than simply making sounds to identify things.
Right, but I’d say there’s two aspects to language:
And well, I’d say if 1) is given, that aids us. A cat purring means that cat is content. We don’t need to figure that out anew every time.
But 2) does not aid us. We should have an easier time understanding and responding to simpler thoughts than arbitrarily complex thoughts.
And yet, we’re going straight for arbitrary complexity, while we still have barriers with simple communication, like not even being able to purr back at cats.
There is lots of evidence of animals doing more than making sounds to identify things. Alex, the African Grey parrot had some pretty advanced concepts, such as numbers and even 0. When not in the mood to work, Alex would just make up wrong answers to be left alone, and would show irritation towards other parrots that were not understanding concepts.
Dolphins have shown the ability to creaye, communicate about, and and coordinate tricks that neither of two dolphins had previously performed.
There was an elephant that knew where an animal hospital was despite having had never been, it had been around elephants that had been however, so the assumption is that the location and activities there had been communicated.
These are just a few examples, there are many more instances where animals have been observed doing more than just labeling things with sound. This is actually why this community exists.