Extremely Primitive Vocalisation
- Thread starter blobrana
- Start date
My Ex sounded like that as well!
Gently Passing
Registered Senior Member
At last! This proves that scat and Jazz are primitive rubbish!
Fraggle Rocker
Staff member
* * * * NOTE FROM THE MODERATOR OF LINGUISTICS * * * *
This isn't "speech," which implies language. What distinguishes language from all other forms of communication is grammar. Grammar defines structural relationships between the symbols of the language (which are typically combinations of sounds), allowing a finite set of symbols to be manipulated in a potentially infinite number of expressions.
Fish vocalizations do not have grammar, hence they are not speech. The vocalizations of almost all non-human animal species lack grammar. The cetaceans may have it, and parrots and apes have been able to learn it but have not developed it naturally.
In addition, a property of language is that its symbols (combinations of sounds) are arbitary. They have no innate meanings, but rather have meanings that are established by agreement. The barking of dogs, birds' mating calls, etc. have meanings that are predefined by instinct. So again, they do not satisfy the defintion of "speech."
This isn't "speech," which implies language. What distinguishes language from all other forms of communication is grammar. Grammar defines structural relationships between the symbols of the language (which are typically combinations of sounds), allowing a finite set of symbols to be manipulated in a potentially infinite number of expressions.
Fish vocalizations do not have grammar, hence they are not speech. The vocalizations of almost all non-human animal species lack grammar. The cetaceans may have it, and parrots and apes have been able to learn it but have not developed it naturally.
In addition, a property of language is that its symbols (combinations of sounds) are arbitary. They have no innate meanings, but rather have meanings that are established by agreement. The barking of dogs, birds' mating calls, etc. have meanings that are predefined by instinct. So again, they do not satisfy the defintion of "speech."