Do Animals Have Language - Tok Essay
Do animals have language?
''Language is the method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way''(1)
Language is humanity's way of communicating with each other, there are over 6,500 different languages spoken around the world. Every language is communicated by two or more people. Every person can have a combination of languages. It all depends on what that person chooses to do. Some individuals believe that there is no communication without language. But many like myself, beg to differ. As I believe there are numerous ways to communicate, whether it is by speech, symbols or sound. A few might argue that speech and sound are the same thing, to me they are completely different. Yes we need to make sounds that represent the letter that make up the word, but in some languages the sounds are the words. For example the Xhosa language; spoken by approximately 7.9 million people of the South African population, it is a tonal language.
I believe that animals communicate using the same technique. I see that certain animals have a specific sound for their specie. For example a dog's bark, a cat's meow, and the whale's songs. They are all a series of sounds, to each other they are understood. Upon being put in the right sequence they convey the message to the other members of that specie. It is a language they use, that we cannot comprehend.
The languages present here in Earth are very detailed and elaborate, because humans have a very complex life, they need a lot of words to make sense of it. Animals live very simple lives, needing to communicate when in danger, or directing others. That is why their languages are probably much more simpler than ours. Other animals communicate through dance, and movements. I consider this a language of its own, as these dances create symbols, and symbols are a language. This is still considered using language as a method of communication.
So yes, I
''Language is the method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way''(1)
Language is humanity's way of communicating with each other, there are over 6,500 different languages spoken around the world. Every language is communicated by two or more people. Every person can have a combination of languages. It all depends on what that person chooses to do. Some individuals believe that there is no communication without language. But many like myself, beg to differ. As I believe there are numerous ways to communicate, whether it is by speech, symbols or sound. A few might argue that speech and sound are the same thing, to me they are completely different. Yes we need to make sounds that represent the letter that make up the word, but in some languages the sounds are the words. For example the Xhosa language; spoken by approximately 7.9 million people of the South African population, it is a tonal language.
I believe that animals communicate using the same technique. I see that certain animals have a specific sound for their specie. For example a dog's bark, a cat's meow, and the whale's songs. They are all a series of sounds, to each other they are understood. Upon being put in the right sequence they convey the message to the other members of that specie. It is a language they use, that we cannot comprehend.
The languages present here in Earth are very detailed and elaborate, because humans have a very complex life, they need a lot of words to make sense of it. Animals live very simple lives, needing to communicate when in danger, or directing others. That is why their languages are probably much more simpler than ours. Other animals communicate through dance, and movements. I consider this a language of its own, as these dances create symbols, and symbols are a language. This is still considered using language as a method of communication.
So yes, I