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Linguists have insisted, and rightly so, that human language is unique in its complexity compared with other animal communication systems. This isn’t to say that other animal communication systems are not complex! The main focus of this course, though, will be on what happens when we attempt to teach other animals our own language. While trainers already have an implicit understanding of what happens, in this course we will review experimental attempts that demonstrate the specific constraints on language learning in animals. In short, we will cover the properties of human language that make it fundamentally different from other systems of communication, what other animals are predisposed to learn about our language, and potential implications. This course will focus on communication with mammals only. |
