Animals and Human

Language
 Task 1

- Does human language (HL) have special properties that

make it different from animal communication systems
(AC)?
 Communication
Communicative signals vs. Informative signals

Communicative signals: behavior used intentionally to provide information.

o e.g., when you use language to tell a person, I’m one of the applicants for the vacant position at
the company, you are normally considered to be intentionally communicating something.

Informative signals: behavior that provides information, usually unintentionally

o e.g., Someone may note that
– you have a cold (you sneezed).
– you are not at ease (you shifted around in your seat).
– you are from somewhere else (you have a strange accent).
 Properties of Human Language
- While we tend to think of communication as the primary function of human language,
it is not a distinguishing feature. All creatures communicate in some way, even if it is not
through vocalization.

The distinct properties of human language are:

1- Reflexivity
2- Displacement
3- Arbitrariness
4- Productivity
5- Cultural transmission
6- Duality
 1- Reflexivity
Reflexivity is a special property of human language that allows language to be
used to think and talk about language itself.

HL
Humans can use language to think
and talk about language itself and its
uses (e.g., “I wish he wouldn’t use so
many technical terms”.
AC
Animals cannot reflect on the way
they create their communicative
messages (e.g., dogs cannot bark
about barking).

v Without reflexivity, we wouldn’t be able to identify any of the other properties of human
language
 2- Displacement
Displacement is a property of language that allows users to talk about things and
events not present in the immediate environment.

HL
Referring to remote /immediate
time and place (e.g., yesterday, next
week, now, here, there ...etc)
AC
Related to the immediate time and
Place (e.g., here and now) (except for
bees there is a limited degree of
displacement)

Talking about things that do not

exist in real life (e.g., superman,
batman...etc)
 3- Arbitrariness
Arbitrariness is a property of language describing the fact that there is no natural
connection between a linguistic form and its meaning.

HL
There is no natural connection
between a linguistic form and its
meaning= arbitrary relationship (i.e.,
the forms do not fit the objects they
denote in any way)
AC
There is a connection between the
message and the signal used to
convey the message
The set of signals is finite
 4- Cultural Transmission
Cultural transmission is the process whereby knowledge of a language is passed from
one generation to the next.

HL AC
is acquired in a culture with other signals are produced instinctively.
speakers → not from parental genes.
language is passed from one
generation to the next
 5- Productivity
Productivity is a property of language that allows users to create new expressions, also
called “creativity” or “open-endedness”.

HL
Humans are continually creating new
expressions by manipulating their
linguistic resources to describe new
objects and situations .
AC
a limited set of signals to choose
from (fixed reference)

utterances in any human language is Animals cannot produce any new

infinite. signals to describe novel
experiences.
 6- Duality
Duality is a property of language whereby linguistic forms have two simultaneous
levels of sound production and meaning, also called “double articulation”.

HL AC
There are two levels of structures Animal communicative signals are
(sounds-meanings). fixed and cannot be broken into
parts (e.g., meow is not m+e+o+w)
With a limited set of sounds, we are
capable of producing a very large
number of sound combinations (e.g.
words) that are distinct in meaning.
 Task 2
Animals can communicate with other members of their own
species, but is it possible that they could learn to communicate
with humans using language? (pp. 52-58)
 MEDIA AND
POLITICAL
TRANSLATION
Translate the following sentences :

● He works as a teacher
● Students withdraw from courses as a result of social conditions
● The boy was killed by a man
● The more you eat the more weight you gain
● During his visit to the university, the ambassador said:……..
● There are many centers inside and outside the Kingdom.
● We have to maintain the prosperity, safety and security of the Kingdom.
 ‫ا‪1‬خطاء الشائعة في الترجمة‬

‫الفصل ب‪ N‬ا‪M‬ضاف وا‪M‬ضاف إليه بمضاف آخر أو أكثر‬ ‫ذكر الفاعل بعد ا‪M‬بني للمجهول‬
‫‪.‬الخطأ‪ :‬في مقابلة له مع الصحافة‪ ،‬تحدث الفنان عن فن ّه•‬ ‫الخطأ‪ :‬شوارع ومباني وحدائق ا;دينة•‬ ‫الخطأ‪ :‬زرعت ا‪N‬رض من قبل وسام•‬
‫الصواب‪ :‬تحدث الفنان عن فن ّه في مقابلته مع الصحافة•‬ ‫الصواب ‪:‬شوارع ا;دينة ومبانيها وحدائقها الصواب•‬ ‫الصواب‪ :‬زرع وسام ا‪N‬رض•‬
‫تأخير الفاعل وتقديم‬
‫ضميره عليه‬
 ‫ا‪1‬خطاء الشائعة في الترجمة‬

‫عدم استخدام ا‪M‬فعول ا‪M‬طلق‬ ‫الفصل ب‪ N‬ا‪M‬ضاف وا‪M‬ضاف إليه بمضاف آخر أو أكثر‬ ‫استخدام ا‪M‬بني للمجهول‬
‫تصرف بشكل حسن•‬
‫ّ‬ ‫الخطأ‪:‬‬ ‫الخطأ‪ :‬شوارع ومباني وحدائق ا;دينة•‬ ‫الخطأ‪ :‬زرعت ا‪N‬رض من قبل وسام•‬
‫الصواب ‪:‬شوارع ا;دينة ومبانيها وحدائقها الصواب•‬ ‫الصواب‪ :‬زرع وسام ا‪N‬رض•‬
‫تصرفا ً حسنا ً•‬
‫ّ‬ ‫تصرف‬
‫ّ‬ ‫الصواب‪:‬‬
• Media

(a plural of medium) refers

to any kind of format used
to convey information.

• Mass Media refers to

those types of media that
are designed to reach
large numbers of people.
 Types of Mass Media

● Television
● Radio
● Film & video
● Print Media: newspapers, magazines
● Photography
● Electronic
 Mass Media Genres

• Informative media—such as news shows, newspapers, informative

websites, etc
• Educational media—such as books, educational video, or
educational software programs
• Persuasive media—such as all types of advertising, television
infomercials, newspaper editorials, or web sites that attempt to
persuade
• Entertainment media—such as entertainment magazines, movies,
novels or entertainment related websites
 SKILLS
• Language proficiency in both languages.

• Background knowledge and updated information.

Features of Media Language

Meaning (Semantic)

Structure of Sentences (Syntax)

Words’ Choices (Lexicography/ Lexis)

Words’ Formation (morphology)

Sounds (Phonology /
Phonics)
Morphological Features of Media Discourse

Compounding
Compounding is extensively productive in media
discourse for brevity and vividness.
Example 1:
Butin-Obama dialogue
The South-North Dialogue
Surface-to-air-missile
Acronym
An acronym is a word formed from the initial letters of
a name.
Example:
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and
Cultural Organization)
AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)

Abbreviations
A shorten form of a written word or phrase used in
place of the whole word or phrase.
Example: USA (United States of America)
 Syntactic Features of Media Discourse

Word Order
In English, they leave the other information about the speaker/writer and
his/her affiliation to the end. On the other hand, in Arabic they start with
information about the speaker and then move to the topic.

Example 1:
“ Deliveries will continue in the coming period and we (and our
partners) are completely ready to take advantage of the recent
favorable conditions….,”El Hillo told reporters in Damascus
(Reuters)

• ‫ في دمشق »توصيل ا;ساعدات سيستمر في الفترة‬N‫وقال الحلو للصحفي‬

•In Arabic, we cannot find a structure that starts with the complements.
Example 1:
Answering the questions of the reporters, the president said…
‫ ردا على أسئلة ا;راسل` قال ال رئيس‬....
`‫قال الرئيس ردا )في رده( على أسئلة ا;راسل‬...
Referential Pronouns
In Arabic we cannot start a sentence with a pronoun that precedes its co-
referential noun like in English.
Example 1:
During his visit to the university, the ambassador said…
‫و أثناء زيارته للجامعة قال السفير‬.....
This can be rephrased to conform the Classical Arabic style as follows:
‫قال السفير أثناء زيارته للجامعة‬...
Multiple genitive
Some translators copy the English style if they have more than one
genitive, however this usage does not conform to the classical language.
Example:
There are many centres inside and outside the Kingdom.
‫ هناك العديد من ا;راكز داخل و خارج ا;ملكة‬.
‫هناك العديد من ا;راكز داخل ا;ملكة و خارجها‬.
• ‫( كلما‬the more…..the more)
Sometimes novice translators copy the English structure unconsciously.
Example:
The more you eat the more weight you gain.
‫كلما أكلت كلما زاد وزنك‬
‫كلما أكلت زاد وزنك‬
‫)‪(as a whole‬‬
‫‪Arabs as a whole are kind.‬‬
‫العرب ككل طيبون‬
‫العرب كلهم طيبون‬
‫)‪(as‬‬
‫?‪What if all religions become as one‬‬
‫ماذا لو أصبحت ا‪N‬ديان جميعها كدين واحد؟‬
‫ماذا لو أصبحت ا‪N‬ديان جميعها دينا واحدا؟‬
Passive Voice Forms
Once we have both subject and object, it becomes less
formal to passivize, particularly in Arabic.
Example:
Three people were killed by the terrorist
‫رهابي‬v‫ثة أشخاص من قبل ا‬x‫تم قتل ث‬
‫ثة أشخاص‬x‫رهابي ث‬v‫قتل ا‬
 ‫‪Exercises‬‬

‫‪Choose the most appropriate translation‬‬

‫‪1.In his speech about the Arab-Israeli conflict, the American ambassador declared….‬‬
‫•‬ ‫‪..‬في حديث له عن الصراع العربي‪-‬ا‪v‬سرائيلي‪ ،‬صرح السفير ا‪y‬مريكي‬
‫•‬ ‫‪..‬صرح السفير ا‪N‬مريكي في حديث له عن الصراع العربي‪-‬ا‪v‬سرائيلي‬
‫•‬ ‫في حديث له صرح السفير ا‪N‬مريكي عن الصراع العربي‪-‬ا‪v‬سرائيلي‬
‫‪2. We have to maintain the prosperity, safety and security of the Kingdom.‬‬
‫•‬ ‫علينا أن نحافظ على رخاء ا;ملكة و أمنها و أمانها‬
‫•‬ ‫علينا أن نحافظ على رخاء و أمن و أمان ا;ملكة‬
‫•‬ ‫رخاء ا;ملكة و أمنها و أمانها يجب أن نحافظ عليهم‬
 ‫‪3. The new head of the centre’s board‬‬
‫•‬ ‫الرئيس الجديد ;جلس ا‪v‬دارة‬
‫•‬ ‫رئيس مجلس ا‪v‬دارة الجديد‬
‫•‬ ‫رئيس ا‪v‬دارة للمجلس الجديد‬
End of lecture