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Wasn't there a study a few years ago that had identified a rudimentary language in bats. It was just 3-4 words/concepts like: 'i don't like you' 'don't want
by FrustratedMonky 3y ago
Wasn't there a study a few years ago that had identified a rudimentary language in bats.
It was just 3-4 words/concepts like:
'i don't like you'
'don't want to sleep next to you'
'like you'.
- codybontecou 3y agoYes, the research is coming out of this lab: https://www.yovelbatlab.com/publications https://www.yovelbatlab.com/publications
- dleeftink 3y ago> just 3-4 words Isn't that quite profound? I'd wager these concepts will get you a long way in any language.
- 082349872349872 3y agopedantry: many non-human animals communicate, in that they create signals with understood meanings; what appears to be special about language is that using it, one can string the same symbols together in different orders, and the understood meaning changes.
- underlipton 3y agoThat seems to be satisfied by the existence of "like/dislike" modifiers (and possibly directional/proximity modifiers, if the example given is accurate to the research).
- FrustratedMonky 3y agoTomato / Potato We discovered animals using 'words'. NO, that isn't what we meant by language, because then humans wouldn't be special.
- Jensson 3y agoAnimal language comes from their genes, it is equivalent to laughter and crying and body language of humans. You can do a lot with just those, you can cry and point and you properly communicate that you are sad because of a thing etc. Human then have another level of language above that that we invented, there is no evidence of animals having anything like that. We can teach an animal to understand some words, but then that animal wont teach their kids to do it, it is a one time thing so they aren't anything like human language learning and culture.
- Dalewyn 3y agoHumans are not special.
- Nevermark 3y agoindependent of how you meant your comment … Phrases like that are meaningless without criteria. Even opposite extremes like “nothing is special”, vs. “everything is special” can be viewed as both true, given sympathetic readings of each phrase’s presumed criteria.
- Dalewyn 3y agoThe parent commenter already specified the criteria: "Humans are special because we utilize language." I am here to tell you: No, humans are not special. Yes, animals (and plants and most other lifeforms) all have some form of language. Humans are not special.
- Nevermark 3y agoWell, yes they are. No animal comes close to how we communicate and internalize our communication skills, and naturally externalize them with visual symbols, invented hand signs, etc. even before we extended all that to formal writing systems for our languages, like we are using right now. I am optimistic about whales & dolphins having some level a real of language. But best possible scenarios don’t come near us. I think you mean “communication”. Yes, even bacteria communicate, so we are not special in communicating. Which for us would include our instinctive facial and body responses, our scent, etc.
- NoPicklez 3y agoSpecial doesn't mean "we do and they don't", we both utilise language, but Humans' do it to a much higher degree. I don't see Chimpanzees typing to other Chimps across the world on a Hackernews forum. That is special and is unlike anything else in the animal kingdom.