Human Language Essay

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Recommended: Chomsky's theory on language development

1. Introduction
The world still revolves around many unanswered mysteries. Through time and science, some have been illuminated and understood, but many are still left unexplained. One of these mysteries is the mind. In this essay I am going to be examining the relationship between animal communication, and our own human language. I will be discussing relevant theories such as evolution from animals and whether or not animals have minds, therefore debating the mind body problem and consciousness, which was most famously addressed by René Descartes as well as many other philosophers. I will also be studying Noam Chomsky’s theories on human language structure and generative grammar that oppose the ideas of various philosophers. Included within this topic I will research Washoe and Nim Chimsky, chimpanzees who were the primary focus of studies of animal language acquisition. The aim of this essay is to see if there is a relationship between human language and animal communication, based on evidence and theories that I will be researching.
2. My research question for this essay is
If humans and animals are so alike, in so many different ways, why can’t we speak the same language? I know that I often find myself attempting to have a full conversation with my dog, wondering if she understands me when tilting her head at certain words or a different pitch. What does what I am saying mean to her? Is it actually just the tone that she understands rather than language?
3. Main argument
Before beginning the main discussion in this essay, the difference between language and communication must be outlined. The Penguin English Dictionary (2003) defines language as ‘the ability to make and use audible, articulate, and meaningful sound by the a...

... middle of paper ...

...he caretaker] in just this way when she finally returned to work with the chimps. Kat made her apologies to Washoe, then decided to tell her the truth, signing "MY BABY DIED." Washoe stared at her, then looked down. She finally peered into Kat's eyes again and carefully signed "CRY", touching her cheek and drawing her finger down the path a tear would make on a human (Chimpanzees don't shed tears). Kat later remarked that one sign told her more about Washoe and her mental capabilities than all her longer, grammatically perfect sentences."

The studies of these chimpanzees show that there is a possibility of animal communication, though maybe not through phonetic systems, but signs.
8. Semiotics and sound systems
The use of sign language in apes brings me on to semiotics, which is the study of signs, sign processes and meaning making. C.S. Pierce and Charles Morris

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