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Chapter 3: LANGUAGE AND HUMANS

 Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this chapter, the students are expected to:
o recognize the features that distinguish human and animal languages;
o identify the functions of language distinct to human;
o identify contextual community and school learning activities
concerning language functions; and
o discuss and present how animals communicate with humans and
other animals with or without consciousness.
Lesson 1
Non-Human Communication
Types of Animal Communication
1. Chemical Communication
2. Auditory Communication
3. Visual Communication
4. Tactile Communication
Visual Communication
Involves signals that can be seen.
Examples of these signals include gestures,
facial expressions, body postures, and
coloration.
Gesture and posture are widely used
visual signals. For instance, chimpanzees
communicate a threat by raising their arms,
slapping the ground, or staring directly at
another chimpanzee. Gestures and postures
are commonly used in mating rituals and
may place other signals—such as bright
coloring—on display.
Visual Communication
Auditory Communication
Barking, growling, hissing and purring
all are considered animal auditory
communication. Sounds can be used to
attract mates, ward off threats and express
happiness or pain.
For example, dogs bark when
approached by a stranger. Red squirrels use
a series of rattles, screeches and yips to
warn intruders to stay away. And dolphins
use auditory communication to set
themselves apart from others -- a unique
whistle that also helps them locate food.
Tactile Communication
Like humans, animals can rely on tactile
communication -- touch -- to convey
messages. Most animals use this form of
communication to show affection, comfort
or fear, or even to establish dominance. For
instance, horses will kick each other to ward
off threats or when competing for a mate.
As kittens, cats will nuzzle their mothers to
show affection. Many species of primates
will clean each other to bond and show
affection.
Chemical Communication
For some species of animals,
communication is about pheromones or
chemical markings. They will leave their
own scents to mark their territories, ward
off predators or attract a mate. The most
well-known example is that of skunks
"spraying" their signature scents when
threatened. Cats will rub against objects to
make their territories, leaving scent markers
from their mouths.
The Lana Project
The Washoe Project
The Koko Project
Lesson 2
Features of Human Language by
Hockett
Features of Human Language by Hockett
In 1960, the linguistic anthropologist Charles Francis Hockett
conducted a pioneering featural study of language. In the study, he
listed 13 design features that he deemed to be universal across the
world’s languages. More importantly, these features distinguished
human language from animal communication. While the first 9 features
could also match primate communications, the last 4 were solely
reserved for human language. Later on, Hockett added another 3
features that he saw as unique to human language. Thus, it can be said
that human language share a general set of features that help set it
apart from communication among animals.
1. Vocal-auditory Channel
Sounds emitted from the
mouth and perceived by the
auditory system.
2. Broadcast Transmission and
Directional Reception
Message goes out in all directions;
receiver can tell what direction
message comes from.
(Sign language uses line-of-sight
transmission instead.)
3. Rapid Fading (transitoriness)
Signal last a short time. This is
true of all systems involving
sound.
4. Interchangeability
Transmitters can become
receivers, and vice versa; we can
each repeat any message.
5. Total Feedback
The sender of a message also
perceives the message. That
is, you hear what you say.
6. Specialization
Human have lips, tongue, throat,
etc. and each organ has its own
specific function in speech.
7. Semanticity
For every signal there is a
corresponding meaning.
8. Arbitrariness
Human language is arbitrary,
meaning, there is no necessary
connection to the form and the
thing assigned to.
9. Discreteness
Language can be said to be built
up from discrete units (e.g.,
phonemes in human language).
Exchanging such discrete units
causes a change in the meaning of
a signal. This is an abrupt change,
rather than a continuous change
of meaning.
10. Displacement
You can talk about something not
immediately present (at a
distance, or in the past).
11. Productivity
Language is an open system. We
can produce potentially an infinite
number of different messages by
combining the elements
differently.
12. Traditional Transmission
Languages are socially learned
(not genetic), and are passed
down through generations.
13. The Duality of Patterning
This means that the discrete parts
of a language can be combined in
a systematic way to create new
forms. It is the ability to
recombine small units in different
words.
13. The Duality of Patterning
Duality of patterning is a characteristic
of human language whereby speech
can be analyzed on two levels:
1. As made up of meaningless
elements; i.e., a limited inventory of
sounds or phonemes
2. As made up of meaningful elements;
i.e., a virtually limitless inventory of
words or morphemes (also called
double articulation)
13. The Duality of Patterning
"Human language is organized at two levels or layers simultaneously.
This property is called duality (or 'double articulation'). In speech
production, we have a physical level at which we can produce individual
sounds, like n, b and i. As individual sounds, none of these discrete
forms has any intrinsic meaning. In a particular combination such as
bin, we have another level producing a meaning that is different from
the meaning of the combination in nib. So, at one level, we have
distinct sounds, and, at another level, we have distinct meanings.
Lesson 3
Halliday’s Language Functions
Halliday’s Language Functions
Language is vital in every interaction. People cut across their
purpose of communication through language. The purpose may include
a personal chore or whiling away time including in one’s hobby or spot.
It may also be interactions from social gatherings or pursuing goals or
professional and personal growth.
For Halliday (1997), these functions or purposes are very important
and drive the motivation for children to develop language. He
categorizes these functions or purposes into seven and the first four
help a person to satisfy and address his/her physical, social and
emotional needs.
Halliday’s Language Functions
Halliday’s Language Functions
Halliday’s Language Functions
Halliday’s Language Functions
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