English
Portfolio assignment Unlikely destinations: Houston Texas
We had to make sure that our chosen place was described attractively for any visitors. We could accomplish this by using rich vocabulary.
Macbeth podcast
We had to make a podcast on the theme of MacBeth. We acted out a scene in this and explained more about it.
RESEARCH COMPETENCES ENGLISH
In January, we started our major research project. We worked on it for a long time, but I found it very instructive and I will definitely take this knowledge into my further studies.
Step 1: Orientation
My research question:
Do animals speak a real language or do they just communicate?
Motivation:
I chose the research question "Do animals speak a real language or do they just communicate?", because I think the communication of animals is an interesting topic. I ask myself many questions about their communication system that I would like to find answers to. Animals communicate, but do they actually speak a language with grammar rules and certain fixed sounds or movements that match our vocabulary? Could you translate an animal language into our language? Does every species has a different way of communicating? What is the difference between communicating and a language? These are some things I would like to do research about and find the answers to my questions. I had also read something about dolphins also having a very complex language system. So this is something I for shore would really like to do further research on. I don't know much about this subject yet, but it seems very interesting and I think there is a lot of information out there that I can use for my research project.
Step 2: structure outline + list of sources
Step 3: self-evaluation
Step 4: writing an abstract
Abstract: "Is animal communication language?"
The question of whether animals speak a real language or just rely on instinctual communication has intrigued researchers for decades. While some scientists argue animals lack complex grammar in their communication, others propose there are a lot of similarities such as the utilization of sounds and the spontaneous use of language, as well as turn-taking behaviors. This study analyses, to what extent animal communication can be compared to the human language system. The research on this topic is extensive, allowing me to discover interesting ways of communication used by particular species. From melodic birdsongs, to high frequency chirps created by bats, to beep and clicking noises made by dolphins.
It is a common mistake to think that communication and language are synonyms, however these terms have a different definition in the field of linguistics. For instance language is a tool of communication. Including that language changes throughout time, it evolves. Unlike communication, which is considered static and focuses solely on transferring a message. The question now is, whether these above-mentioned ways of communication among animals fit into the framework of communication or language.
Answering this question requires searching beneath the surface. Resulting into the discovery of the functioning of a bird's vocal organ, which is amazingly similar to a human vocal organ. Additionally, some animals can even be trained to "understand" our language. Furthermore, there is a big difference between humans and animals based on their short-term memory limits. We can now begin to place communication systems of different animals within the framework of communication or language by seeing if it meets certain criteria. On that account, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the diversity of linguistics beyond human boundaries.