sum discussion human nonhuman language content length 18462 fair amount discussion language among nonhumans publicly linguist privately since previous summa ry linguist 628 already posted linguist bibliographical list broadcast linguist 6195 follows summary main points come discussion first like thank following people posted messages personally dan alford k moonhawk dalford s1 csuhayward edu celso alvarez caccamo lxalvarz udc es rachel lagunoff ihw1009 mvs oac ucla edu dorothy hinshaw patent doropatent aol com john e limber jel christa unh edu alex schwartz alex _ schwartz sagepub com andrew spencer spena essex ac uk mike tomasello tomas fs1 psy emory edu bill turkel bill hivnet ubc ca george williams gww navisoft com addition individuals following people posted items subject language among nonhumans linguist since 628 going focus less following summary assumption already read say lloyd anderson ecoling applelink apple com sherri l condon slc6859 usl edu jane edwards edwards cogsci berkeley edu larry gorbet lgorbet mail unm edu jacques guy j guy trl oz au gilbert harman ghh princeton edu marion kee marion kee nl cs cmu edu bob krovetz krovetz cs umass edu roger lass roger beattie uct ac za david pesetsky pesetsk mit edu benji wald ibeneawj mvs oac ucla edu sherman wilcox wilcox alcor unm edu one major issue came discussion methodological ethical justification evaluating linguistic ability nonhumans confronting task mastering language belonging homo sapiens instead investigating means inter act amongst linguist benji wald pointed chomsky paper pub lished sebeok sebeok vol mentioned bibliography linguist 6195 carefully drew distinction human language cog nitive system built human brain enables us master various human languages raw data studies lan guage shall posting capitalize confused lsa journal set possible similar systems whatever species machine may manifest phase dis cussion began question relation ability cognize one image mirror ability handle pronouns vari ous sorts including reflexives briefly dogs cats able cognize reflections members species consistently treat others behaving toward would strangers species roger lass suggested ability cognize reflection elf may evolutionarily advantageous predatory animals anthropoid apes however manage minutes realize reflection elf point switch ocial behaviours would normally use make acquaintance strangers species using mirror tool selfinspection evidence presented knowledge anyone else list chimps gorillas etc ability handle anaphoric reference way human apes sherri condon referred us work colleague univer sity southwestern louisiana daniel j povinelli subject ultimately discussion came back fundamental issue raised previous summary even possible ingenious programme design arduous effort teach real human language chimp gorilla mere fact system question would forcefed evidence serious difference cognitive systems two species human nonhuman question since humans pick stuff almost training whatsoever since much research programme dedicated less directly investigating ability humans learn individual human languages naturally e minimum effort least childhood unredoubted fact places linguistic abilities nonhumans significant distance discipline focus area whether field linguistics ought broaden focus area include nonhuman quasilinguistic semiotic communicative systems another question course raised private discussion speaking sympathetic notion embedding use professional word linguistics stand within broader programme research language including semiotic communicative systems nonhuman animals supposing animals could accomplish task mastering hu man language far happened would certainly prove difference species relevant nature lan guage question much less language general failure accom plish task probative since interpreted either least two ways 1 animals question protolinguistic use bickerton term unable master system complexity human language quantitative evaluation 2 animals question already possession equivalent system comparable complexity incompatible organization ipso facto interferes catastrophically proposed task qua litative evaluation alternatives correct require completely diffe rent set experiments carefully studying communicative behaviours natural animals linguists study communicative beha viours natural humans one correspondents said effort devoted towards teaching apes modified version english complex highly social species extremely sophisticated natural communication system yet know little surely embarking experimental meddling dubious methodological validity would prudent construct research program aimed mapping cognitive abilities various species particularly homegrown communication systems presumably background apes communicate wild really able interpret kinds artificial experiments pio neered gardners others provide reference list would extremely interesting though lot hard work compare amount research effort expended teaching apes 2 year old english compared number studies devoted ethological study ape communication related issue epistemological question reco gnize behaviour another species equivalent language hu mans remarked one point human language purely communication system structure based solely commu nicative function use language variety functions strike logically selfevident functions served system imagine species en gaged behaviours used radically different system would able recognize different systems would properly fall field inquiry call lin guistics larry gorbet linguist posting touched well pect problem addressing particular one criticisms made results achieved gardners et al formal element whose meaning includes displacement generally fairly abstract meaning intrinsically difficult recognize simply search space observable behavior points meaning large result intrinsic sample bias semantic analysis concrete meanings likely disco vered abstract ones relative actual frequency occurrence addition abstract meanings obvious sense meanings concern internal states e g emotions difficult discern one nt experience states similar ones couple references science fiction literature relevant science fiction often useful thoughtexperi ments einsteinian sense h beam piper definitely pc brilliant wrote story called naudsonce pp 57112 col lection federation published 1981 ace piper suicided 1964 idea whether naudsonce published anywhere life time exploration party earth discovers extrasolar planet inhabited obviously sapient species explorers la bel svants people living roughly neolithic cultural technological level question communicate means deliberately modulated sound waves transmitted air humans immediately jump conclusion something akin call language professional linguist brought along eventualities gets work trying analyse svants language establish interspecies communication go turns although svants humans communicate means deliberately modulated etc resemblance ends auditory systems mean auditory centers brains neurosensory systems ears serve input designed convert auditory impulses distinct sensory experience call hearing svants neurosensory systems designed convert impulses something closely approximating sensory expe rience tells us internal states e g feelings hunger thirst satiation heartburn etc thus human reports feel ing pain pleasure another human apprehends message intellectu ally svant reports feeling equivalent feeling di rectly induced body another svant order hope interspecies communication human explorers rely two peculiar individuals young male svant result birth defect eaf otherwise quite intelligent shows promise able master ideographic writing system mother normal sticks son maternal affection interpret rest svant community point giving rather lengthy summary recognition fundamental diffe rence human svant communicative systems constitutes jor challenging cognitive leap human explorers confident similar cognitive leap would necessary us evaluating cognitive behaviours nonhuman apes cetaceans etc piper speaking characters expresses scepticism species whose principal communication system thoroughly bypas ses higher rational cognitive centers develop far way civilization personally nt share scepticism several us discussion considered cetaceans use sound principal means exploring world around via sonar apparently communicate suggests cetacean mode commu nication might involve projecting sonar image one talk ing listener brain projection may involve vocali zation skill levels outside abilities cetaceans assuming could nt think irect communicative methods preclude high level civilization sure different ability chinese fluent signers communicate highly abstract concepts means essentially visual imagery read suzette hayden elgin intriguing though dif fuse novel native tongue may remember novel humans course several decades established contact variety alien species managed negotiate profitable trade deals seve ral spite obvious language barriers reason generally despised profession linguist allowed survive cryptofascist state encounters species obviously sapi ent obviously endowed something way language remember correctly made clear exactly recognized language radically different human language structural organization human seems able get hang several people die trying cases left big question exactly consti tutes language language recognize one exists subject cognitive organization brains nonhuman primates steven pinker p 350 recent book language ins tinct mind creates language discusses equivalents broca wernicke areas neuroanatomists al galaburda terrence deacon discovered areas monkey brains correspond location inputoutput cabling cellular composition human language areas example homologues wernicke broca areas band fibers connecting two humans regions involved producing monkeys calls involved producing gestures monkey seems use regions corresponding wernicke area neighbors recognize sound sequences discriminate calls monkeys calls broca homologues involved control mus cles face mouth tongue larynx various subregions homologues receive inputs parts brain dedicated hearing sense touch mouth tongue larynx areas streams information senses converge interested relevant references deacon w 1988 evolution human language circuits h jerison jerison eds intelligence evolutionary biology new york springer 1989 neural circuitry underlying primate calls human language human evolution 4 367401 galaburda n pandya 1982 role architectonics con nections study primate brain evolution e armstrong falk eds primate brain evolution new york plenum beyond fact integration even complex cial systems enough account complexity human lan guage large number human social situations seem manageable dozen different utterances yet natural linguis tic ability vastly excess suspect ancestors may developed ability nonce mutation subsequent millenia gradually developed uses least tangentially relevant thoughts subject see theodore zeldin recently published intimate history humanity harper collins closing posting quote following dorothy hinshaw patent message reiterate plea linguist 628 userfriendliness interactions people rea sonably intelligent may welleducated may even fellow scientists nt linguists frustrated critics ape language work seemed looking reasons say work nt meaning think piece summarized many frustrations people like well would everyone able think clearly like see linguistic analysis using minimal linguistic jargon zoologists psychologists could understand work done apes dolphins sea lions parrots comparing accom plishments different species one another human chil dren like person make assumption work meaning go rather trying find picky reasons discounting human hubris let us instead adopt attitude expressed sherri condon think much learn cognition communication species fortunate careful researchers job course always true researchers job careful understand responsible wedded hypotheses ex tent unable wrestle appropriately contrary evidence alternative approaches responsible ones definitely deserve encouragement best steven dr steven schaufele 712 west washington urbana il 61801 217344 8240 fcosws prairienet org syntagmata linguarum liberemini humanarum nihil vestris privari nisi obicibus potestis