Scope of this mod
Study is restricted to natural language/human language.
Human Language
Question
Is it possible to teach animals to use forms of language by using signs/symbols?
Speech is not possible as animals do not necessarily have the same apparatus as human to speak in a way humans do. Animals however can learn to communicate using signs and symbols, but they do not produce extended discourse containing a potentially infinite number of novel utterances. This means that they do not put the signs together in a new way to come up with a new statement.
Languages look very different on the surface as each language is unique and specific, but all languages contain the same general elements and follow the same organizational principles and are equally capable of conveying all the complex meanings that human communicate. This means that generally, human language is overall the same.
Elements of Language Covered
- Articulatory Phonetics (Production of speech sounds)
- Phonology (Sound patterns)
- Morphology (Structure of words)
- Word Classes (Categories of words)
- Syntax (Structure of phrases and sentences)
- Semantics (Linguistic meaning - meaning of words)
- Pragmatics (Meaning in context)
- Sociolinguistics (Language and society)
- Ethnolinguistics (Language and cultures)
- Psycholinguistics (Mental processing of language)