Thank you for this excellent, concise lecture. The difference between human language and animal communication systems is a reflection of the structure and working of the human brain and the animal brain. Fav'ed
One thing that is interesting is understanding logic in relation to language; writing is nurtured later in children or in some people groups not used at all BUT....logic is the basis and structure behind every single language system. The Word (Logos/ Logic) exists before the thought, seeing as thoughts are processed in the brain but not created in the brain, but are rather fed to the brain through our eyes and ears. And so thought exists before speech and before one writes. But, in all aspects of the material world, every single thing we call 'matter', including our brains, is made up of waves. So, effectively, words/ logic exist/s before sound. As humans we are able to hear and see, thereby processing information in the brain as thoughts - responses to our senses - but the logic to translate that information exists outside of those processes. In relation to one of the points raised in the video, that 'writing is secondary', I believe it isn't necessarily true. Though speech is the more immediately manifested form of language, as far as acquisition goes, I believe labeling writing as 'secondary' is a true premise as far as its use and acquisition - probably due to its efficiency, as the closer muscle/ organ to the brain than the hands - but, in terms of proficiency, writing could be the preferred primary mode of communication. And not just in coherency. In relation to the emotions, which the tongue has far less control over. Generally, in spoken language, emotions are far more efficiently and honestly communicated, whereas written language it is far more controlled. In cases where you do not wish to give away your thoughts, or allow an emotion such as vexation to be communicated, writing would be the primary mode of communication. So, I think primary and secondary modes of communication are relative to the situation, where the efficiency, proficiency or deficiency of any one mode of communication can change due to the environmental settings. I'm not even sure I made much sense here, but this is a classic example of why I have to write before I speak!
I wonder, if we couldn't communicate by sounds, so we only rely on visual and tactile etc... Would we have developed a completely different writing system than what we have now ~ ?
Hello again. (0:05) In this e-lecture we will look at the transmission of a message from a source to a receiver. A process referred to as communication. (0:14) In most cases both source and receiver will be human and the message will be transmitted either vocally or graphically. Such a system of communication is referred to as language, and this involves two central questions. Question one: can animals communicate too, and if so do they use a language? And the second question: what modes of communication do we know, and which ones can be referred to as language? (0:50) The general assumption is [that] language is confined to humans. It is studied under the heading of linguistics, but communication is not. Animals use several communication systems too, largely studied under the heading of zoo semiotics. Bees use their tail wagging dance to communicate; birds and whales communicate by means of songs; and primates have sophisticated systems of communication. These communication systems help animals to find food, allow them to migrate, or to reproduce themselves. (1:32) Let us exemplify these modes of communication on the basis of a VLC video that we produced several years ago. “One of the most remarkable communication systems found in the nonhuman world is that of the European honeybee. In performing the so-called tail wagging dance, the bee is able to indicate the exact location of food sources beyond a hundred meters. Bird vocalizations have long been studied in great detail, and two major classes of vocalizations have been distinguished: calls and songs. Bird calls are sound patterns consisting of single notes, or short note sequences, associated with functional events and activities, such as alarm, pleasure, and some more. Songs are more complex than the calls and are used chiefly by male birds to establish territories and attract mates during the breeding season. Whales use simple sound signals to express complex messages. The most striking fact is that they engage in song sessions. Their songs do not constitute any rule-based language however they are integral components of a remarkable communication system. People have been fascinated with primate communication for a long time. Our interest in cracking the communicative code of another species is motivated by our close relationship to these creatures by evolution. Since we humans are primates, we might discover in primate communication systems some clue as to the origin of human language.” (3:06) One might want to call these systems animal language. However, as we will see later, they differ from human communication systems in several ways. We will come back to this. (3:49) Let us first define the several modes of communication. The term mode of communication refers to the means by which messages are transmitted between the parties involved. Human communication uses the following modes: verbal communication - that is speech and writing; and nonverbal communication - that is visual, tactile, or factory gustatory modes of communication. Among these modes of communication, speech is the most important. In fact, many people consider writing more correct and more stable than speech, which they believe to be careless corrupted and susceptible to change. (3:39) Modern linguistics however regards speech as the most immediate manifestation of language, and [regards] written language as secondary in relation to its spoken form for the following reasons. First, humans spoke long before the first writing system was developed. Second, many languages do not have a writing system at all. And the third reason: children acquire spoken language automatically, but they must be taught how to write. Beyond these standard modes of verbal communication there are less frequently used writing systems, such as the Braille system - the writing system for the blind. Here is a fragment and a small task for you - can you solve it? The solution will be shown later on. (5:35) Well and then there are nonverbal modes - that is, modes that neither use sounds no written elements to convey meaning. Let us look at these more closely. There is for example a tactile, or touch based, mode of communication, referring to what we communicate through the sense of touch, through touching or not touching each other in various ways. Touch may be the most basic form of communication since it is the way things are communicated to infants long before they have learned anything about other modes of communication. The olfactory, or smell based, communication mode is used relatively rarely. Yet, it is possible to communicate via smell. For example, one can use the smell of flowers to create a certain mood. Even though the gustatory, that is the taste based, communication mode is marginal in comparison with the other modes, one can communicate via taste. For example, one can offer a distasteful meal, a salty lemonade, or a delicious cake. (6:48) Last but not least, we use a set of so-called paralinguistic features. Communication does not only utilize sounds to express meaning, but a variety of additional techniques such as gestures or facial expressions. Their function is to capture the attention of the interlocutor and then focus it on a particular object or event. Here are some examples: sad, delighted, disgusted, and so on and so forth. Paralinguistic features may vary across languages and are often dependent on the topic to be communicated. These include, among others, gestures, facial expressions, etc., - that is, all those aspects that accompanied the uttering of linguistic constructions. Here is an example of the gestures used during political speeches in the German parliament. (7:54) “Communication does not only utilize sounds to express meaning, but a variety of additional techniques such as gestures or facial expressions. Their function is to capture the attention of the interlocutor and then focus it on a particular object or event. Gestures may vary across languages and are often dependent on the topic to be communicated.” (8:24) Finally, let's briefly talk about sign language. A sign language uses manual communication and body language to convey meaning. This can involve simultaneously combining hand shapes, orientation, location, and movement of the hands, arms, or body. Furthermore, non-manual expressions that is facial expressions are added to fluidly express the speaker’s thoughts. Sign languages share many similarities with spoken languages, which is why linguists consider both to be natural languages. However, sign languages are independent from spoken languages, even though sometimes spoken language elements are borrowed. The grammatical structures at the core of both forms of natural languages differ greatly. An example would be the possibility of simultaneous expressions which are impossible in spoken languages but occur frequently inside ones as their visual mode enables this feature. (9:33) Let us now return to the question we raised earlier on. There is no doubt that humans communicate, but what about animals, or even machines? Communication can be defined as ‘the process whereby ideas information and messages are shared with others in a particular time and place through a common system of symbols’. This definition is crucial because, as we saw, animals have a symbolic system - they have songs, dances, instinctive, noises, etc., - but is this any sort of language? For the linguist, it is not. (10:15) Linguists consider language as a distinctively human phenomenon for the following reasons. Only humans can talk about things that are not present in space or time. And second, language enables us to produce and understand any number of messages that have never been heard before, and that may contain novel ideas. Animal communication systems, by contrast, are fixed in terms of the messages that can be conveyed. Despite some more or less successful attempts to teach animals to use a symbolic version of human language (for example, the chimpanzee Washu in the 1960s, or the well-known bonobo, Kanzi), their communication skills are limited - speech did never occur. (11:09) But, comprehension, even of human speech has been demonstrated. Here is an example from Kenzie probably the world's most intelligent bonobo. (11:25) “Kanzi, Could you cut the onions with your knife? That's very good thank you. Could you put some salt on your ball? That's a good job, that's very nice, thank you Kanzi. Can you put the pine needles in the refrigerator? Good job, thank you.” (12:10) Impressive, isn't it? But still rudimentary compared to human language. And what about machines - don't they communicate with one another, or even with us as well? Well, whereas the communication capability of animals is restricted to a limited range of sounds, and to a set of body movements, or to factory signals, machines depend, by-and-large, on the way they are programmed, and thus lack the degree of flexibility inherent in human communication. Nevertheless, they communicate a lot. Within computer networks they exchange enormous amounts of data. But, as far as linguistic communication is concerned, their capabilities are limited. So, despite some enormous successes in mobile applications, such as the speech input and output facilities on mobile phones, automatic speech recognition and speech synthesis are still in their infancy and mainly unilateral. So machines communicate but they do not (or do I have to say not yet?) possess a communication system comparable to human language. (13:35) So, in summary, animals and humans and even machines communicate. They use various ways of communication, ranging from verbal to nonverbal. Oh, by the way - I almost forgot - here is the solution to the short task: the brain colt stands for the characters U N I T, which means, of course, unit. So, returning to my summary...
we saw that language in a strict sense is confined to humans. And we also saw that the most important mode of human language is speech. And the study of speech is the goal of phonetics, which looks at three main events: the production of sounds, the analysis of the sound wave, and the perception of sounds. And these three events taken together are referred to as the speech chain - a topic which has been taken up in a separate e-lecture. (14:36) Until then, thanks for joining me.
![[UNCUT]"ทนายตั้ม" แฉยับ! ความลับสวรรค์ ใครคือ "บิ๊กเทวดา" ของบอสพอล l คนดังนั่งเคลียร์ l 15 ต.ค. 67](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ru9fpSaUwdA/mqdefault.jpg)
That's great, sir! Thanks a lot for sharing this amazing, educational video.
Thank you for this excellent, concise lecture.
The difference between human language and animal communication systems is a reflection of the structure and working of the human brain and the animal brain.
Fav'ed
One thing that is interesting is understanding logic in relation to language; writing is nurtured later in children or in some people groups not used at all BUT....logic is the basis and structure behind every single language system. The Word (Logos/ Logic) exists before the thought, seeing as thoughts are processed in the brain but not created in the brain, but are rather fed to the brain through our eyes and ears. And so thought exists before speech and before one writes.
But, in all aspects of the material world, every single thing we call 'matter', including our brains, is made up of waves. So, effectively, words/ logic exist/s before sound. As humans we are able to hear and see, thereby processing information in the brain as thoughts - responses to our senses - but the logic to translate that information exists outside of those processes.
In relation to one of the points raised in the video, that 'writing is secondary', I believe it isn't necessarily true. Though speech is the more immediately manifested form of language, as far as acquisition goes, I believe labeling writing as 'secondary' is a true premise as far as its use and acquisition - probably due to its efficiency, as the closer muscle/ organ to the brain than the hands - but, in terms of proficiency, writing could be the preferred primary mode of communication. And not just in coherency. In relation to the emotions, which the tongue has far less control over. Generally, in spoken language, emotions are far more efficiently and honestly communicated, whereas written language it is far more controlled. In cases where you do not wish to give away your thoughts, or allow an emotion such as vexation to be communicated, writing would be the primary mode of communication.
So, I think primary and secondary modes of communication are relative to the situation, where the efficiency, proficiency or deficiency of any one mode of communication can change due to the environmental settings. I'm not even sure I made much sense here, but this is a classic example of why I have to write before I speak!
Can't thank you enough for such a project and this rich resource.
Outstanding lectures 🎉❤
I wonder, if we couldn't communicate by sounds, so we only rely on visual and tactile etc... Would we have developed a completely different writing system than what we have now ~ ?
Hello again.
(0:05) In this e-lecture we will look at the transmission of a message from a source to a receiver. A process referred to as communication.
(0:14) In most cases both source and receiver will be human and the message will be transmitted either vocally or graphically. Such a system of communication is referred to as language, and this involves two central questions. Question one: can animals communicate too, and if so do they use a language? And the second question: what modes of communication do we know, and which ones can be referred to as language?
(0:50) The general assumption is [that] language is confined to humans. It is studied under the heading of linguistics, but communication is not. Animals use several communication systems too, largely studied under the heading of zoo semiotics. Bees use their tail wagging dance to communicate; birds and whales communicate by means of songs; and primates have sophisticated systems of communication. These communication systems help animals to find food, allow them to migrate, or to reproduce themselves.
(1:32) Let us exemplify these modes of communication on the basis of a VLC video that we produced several years ago. “One of the most remarkable communication systems found in the nonhuman world is that of the European honeybee. In performing the so-called tail wagging dance, the bee is able to indicate the exact location of food sources beyond a hundred meters. Bird vocalizations have long been studied in great detail, and two major classes of vocalizations have been distinguished: calls and songs. Bird calls are sound patterns consisting of single notes, or short note sequences, associated with functional events and activities, such as alarm, pleasure, and some more. Songs are more complex than the calls and are used chiefly by male birds to establish territories and attract mates during the breeding season. Whales use simple sound signals to express complex messages. The most striking fact is that they engage in song sessions. Their songs do not constitute any rule-based language however they are integral components of a remarkable communication system.
People have been fascinated with primate communication for a long time. Our interest in cracking the communicative code of another species is motivated by our close relationship to these creatures by evolution. Since we humans are primates, we might discover in primate communication systems some clue as to the origin of human language.”
(3:06) One might want to call these systems animal language. However, as we will see later, they differ from human communication systems in several ways. We will come back to this.
(3:49) Let us first define the several modes of communication. The term mode of communication refers to the means by which messages are transmitted between the parties involved. Human communication uses the following modes: verbal communication - that is speech and writing; and nonverbal communication - that is visual, tactile, or factory gustatory modes of communication. Among these modes of communication, speech is the most important. In fact, many people consider writing more correct and more stable than speech, which they believe to be careless corrupted and susceptible to change.
(3:39) Modern linguistics however regards speech as the most immediate manifestation of language, and [regards] written language as secondary in relation to its spoken form for the following reasons. First, humans spoke long before the first writing system was developed. Second, many languages do not have a writing system at all. And the third reason: children acquire spoken language automatically, but they must be taught how to write. Beyond these standard modes of verbal communication there are less frequently used writing systems, such as the Braille system - the writing system for the blind. Here is a fragment and a small task for you - can you solve it? The solution will be shown later on.
(5:35) Well and then there are nonverbal modes - that is, modes that neither use sounds no written elements to convey meaning. Let us look at these more closely. There is for example a tactile, or touch based, mode of communication, referring to what we communicate through the sense of touch, through touching or not touching each other in various ways. Touch may be the most basic form of communication since it is the way things are communicated to infants long before they have learned anything about other modes of communication. The olfactory, or smell based, communication mode is used relatively rarely. Yet, it is possible to communicate via smell. For example, one can use the smell of flowers to create a certain mood. Even though the gustatory, that is the taste based, communication mode is marginal in comparison with the other modes, one can communicate via taste. For example, one can offer a distasteful meal, a salty lemonade, or a delicious cake.
(6:48) Last but not least, we use a set of so-called paralinguistic features. Communication does not only utilize sounds to express meaning, but a variety of additional techniques such as gestures or facial expressions. Their function is to capture the attention of the interlocutor and then focus it on a particular object or event. Here are some examples: sad, delighted, disgusted, and so on and so forth. Paralinguistic features may vary across languages and are often dependent on the topic to be communicated. These include, among others, gestures, facial expressions, etc., - that is, all those aspects that accompanied the uttering of linguistic constructions. Here is an example of the gestures used during political speeches in the German parliament.
(7:54) “Communication does not only utilize sounds to express meaning, but a variety of additional techniques such as gestures or facial expressions. Their function is to capture the attention of the interlocutor and then focus it on a particular object or event. Gestures may vary across languages and are often dependent on the topic to be communicated.”
(8:24) Finally, let's briefly talk about sign language. A sign language uses manual communication and body language to convey meaning. This can involve simultaneously combining hand shapes, orientation, location, and movement of the hands, arms, or body. Furthermore, non-manual expressions that is facial expressions are added to fluidly express the speaker’s thoughts. Sign languages share many similarities with spoken languages, which is why linguists consider both to be natural languages. However, sign languages are independent from spoken languages, even though sometimes spoken language elements are borrowed. The grammatical structures at the core of both forms of natural languages differ greatly. An example would be the possibility of simultaneous expressions which are impossible in spoken languages but occur frequently inside ones as their visual mode enables this feature.
(9:33) Let us now return to the question we raised earlier on. There is no doubt that humans communicate, but what about animals, or even machines? Communication can be defined as ‘the process whereby ideas information and messages are shared with others in a particular time and place through a common system of symbols’. This definition is crucial because, as we saw, animals have a symbolic system - they have songs, dances, instinctive, noises, etc., - but is this any sort of language? For the linguist, it is not.
(10:15) Linguists consider language as a distinctively human phenomenon for the following reasons. Only humans can talk about things that are not present in space or time. And second, language enables us to produce and understand any number of messages that have never been heard before, and that may contain novel ideas. Animal communication systems, by contrast, are fixed in terms of the messages that can be conveyed. Despite some more or less successful attempts to teach animals to use a symbolic version of human language (for example, the chimpanzee Washu in the 1960s, or the well-known bonobo, Kanzi), their communication skills are limited - speech did never occur.
(11:09) But, comprehension, even of human speech has been demonstrated. Here is an example from Kenzie probably the world's most intelligent bonobo.
(11:25) “Kanzi, Could you cut the onions with your knife? That's very good thank you. Could you put some salt on your ball? That's a good job, that's very nice, thank you Kanzi. Can you put the pine needles in the refrigerator? Good job, thank you.”
(12:10) Impressive, isn't it? But still rudimentary compared to human language. And what about machines - don't they communicate with one another, or even with us as well? Well, whereas the communication capability of animals is restricted to a limited range of sounds, and to a set of body movements, or to factory signals, machines depend, by-and-large, on the way they are programmed, and thus lack the degree of flexibility inherent in human communication. Nevertheless, they communicate a lot. Within computer networks they exchange enormous amounts of data. But, as far as linguistic communication is concerned, their capabilities are limited. So, despite some enormous successes in mobile applications, such as the speech input and output facilities on mobile phones, automatic speech recognition and speech synthesis are still in their infancy and mainly unilateral. So machines communicate but they do not (or do I have to say not yet?) possess a communication system comparable to human language.
(13:35) So, in summary, animals and humans and even machines communicate. They use various ways of communication, ranging from verbal to nonverbal. Oh, by the way - I almost forgot - here is the solution to the short task: the brain colt stands for the characters U N I T, which means, of course, unit. So, returning to my summary...
we saw that language in a strict sense is confined to humans. And we also saw that the most important mode of human language is speech. And the study of speech is the goal of phonetics, which looks at three main events: the production of sounds, the analysis of the sound wave, and the perception of sounds. And these three events taken together are referred to as the speech chain - a topic which has been taken up in a separate e-lecture.
(14:36) Until then, thanks for joining me.