Animal Human Language Essay

Sample Language Essay

It has been claimed that language is the most sophisticated form of  communication ever developed and that only human beings have the capacity  to learn and use language. What are the arguments for and against this point of view. Language is separate from communication as a term as communication can be anything we communicate communicate but language is more more specific. Language is verbal communication, it is what we speak and write, language is different to non-verbal communication as non-verbal communication is communication without words e.g body language. Verbal communication is more more complex than non-verbal non-verbal as with verbal we can communicate much more complex meanings. As human beings we have the capacity to learn language and an apparent endless ability to make new words and sentences. This is a trait unique to humans providing an argument for the statement that language is the most sophisticated form of communication so we can be endlessly creative, a trait tr ait animals do not have. Animal language is not as sophisticated or complex complex as humans. An example of  animal communication is is the bee. The bee can communicate, communicate, it uses codes representations to communicate communicate to other bees. An example of bee communication is when it waggles moving from side to side communicating where the honey is tin relation to the sun. From the tempo it communicates communicates information telling telling others the distance to the honey and as a result the other bees follow. Bees can successfully communicate information but this communication cannot be regarded as language. language. This is because it is not creative as bees bees cannot express other things such as how emotion, empathy and persuasion whereas humans can providing an argument supporting the statement a human language is more complex in communicating communicating complex complex meanings and and ideas. Bees cannot communicate the meaning in another way as there is only one way to do it. Humans can rephrase and communicate the meaning in a difference maybe subtle or aggressive way. The bee cannot give give feedback to another e.g e.g it could not challenge another bee about the information they are communicating. There are two theories about about how human language language developed. The continuity theory could be seen to suggest that human language has only progressed and is not hugely different different to animals. The discontinuity theory however, says says human language is something entirely different. The continuity theory has the viewpoint that human language has evolved from a more primitive animal means of communication in a continuous growth. The theories supporting this suggest language grows out of a primitive call system like any apes have. The discontinuity theory says human language is something different from our basic animal heritage and has has been superimposed superimposed on it. It suggests that humans retain

their basic set of cries e.g. babies crying could be closely related to monkeys but these cries exist alongside human language. In support of the continuity theory is the Vervet monkey as it has several alarm calls to distinguish between different types of danger. This supports the theory that humans started out with a basic set of cries e.g danger which were elaborated, evolving into language. Another view is that the cries distinguish between different intensities of danger suggests the Vervet monkey is not sophisticated enough to distinguish between different types. I would disagree with this view as when an experiment was carried out where a loud speaker played different calls the monkeys reacted differently to each one suggesting they were distinguishing between enemies. Human language, I think, is more sophisticated than animals as it is more complex. Human language has many more functions for language than animals e.g empathy and emotion. Animals, however, do not communicate these as they do not have the language to do so. Animals communicate simple information as it is all they need to communicate but if the continuity theory is right when these animals have a need for language they may develop it.

 AO1 6(Level 3)  A02 13 (Level 3) TOTAL 19/30 (Around a low Grade B standard) Teacher’s comment This essay is by no means perfect. It does not cover everything there is to say about the title but the examiner does not expect you to cover everything in 30 mins. Just select some key information and use it to pursue a particular  line of argument – this will be different for different students! What this essay has is a clear structure links between different sections of the essay, a personal voice some good examples a definite and clear conclusion. • • • • •