Do animals have language? - Michele Bishop

譯者: Ming Gui Tan 審譯者: Yamei Huang

All animals communicate.

每個動物都在溝通。

Crabs wave their claws at each other to signal that they're healthy

螃蟹互相搖擺鉗子來表示牠們很健康

and ready to mate.

準備好可以生育。

Cuttlefish use pigmented skin cells called chromatophores

墨魚用帶有色素的皮膚細胞， 所謂的色素細胞

to create patterns on their skin that act as camouflage

在皮膚上製造一些圖樣 來進行偽裝

or warnings to rivals.

或者警告競爭者。

Honeybees perform complex dances

蜜蜂利用複雜的舞蹈

to let other bees know the location and quality of a food source.

來告訴夥伴們食物的地點 和品質。

All of these animals have impressive communication systems,

這些動物都有一流的溝通系統，

but do they have language?

但牠們有語言嗎？

To answer that question,

要回答這個問題，

we can look at four specific qualities that are often associated with language:

我們要先知道跟語言有密切關係的 四大特點：

discreteness,

分立性、

grammar,

文法、

productivity,

創新性，

and displacement.

以及超越時空性。

Discreteness means that there is a set of individual units,

分立性就是說 有組個別不同的單位，

such as sounds or words,

比如聲音和字語，

that can be combined to communicate new ideas,

可以組合起來 以傳達新的想法，

like a set of refrigerator poetry magnets you can rearrange

就好比一組你可以排列在冰箱上的 詩詞磁鐵

to create different phrases.

來組成不同的詞語。

Grammar provides a system of rules

文法提供一些規則

that tells you how to combine those individual units.

讓你知道怎麼合併這些 個別單位。

Productivity is the ability to use language

創新性就是能夠利用語言

to create an infinite number of messages.

來創造無限量的訊息。

And displacement is the ability to talk about things

而超越時空性 是能夠討論

that aren't right in front of you,

不在你面前的事物，

such as past, future, or fictional events.

比如說過去，未來和虛構性事件。

So, does animal communication exhibit any of these qualities?

所以，動物之間的溝通 有這些特質嗎？

For crabs and cuttlefish, the answer is no.

對於螃蟹和墨魚， 答案是沒有。

They don't combine their signals in creative ways.

牠們無法以創意的方式 合併牠們的信號。

Those signals also don't have to be in a grammatical order,

牠們的信號也不需要有特定的 語法順序，

and they only communicate current conditions,

而且牠們也只透露現況，

like, "I am healthy," or "I am poisonous."

像「我現在很健康」 或「我有毒」。

But some animals actually do display some of these properties.

但有些動物確實會表現出 部分的特質。

Bees use the moves, angle, duration, and intensity of their waggle dance

蜜蜂利用舞蹈的動作， 角度、時間長度和強度

to describe the location and richness of a food source.

來描述食物的地點和豐富性。

That source is outside the hive,

食物在蜂窩外面，

so they exhibit the property of displacement.

所以牠們表現出超越時空性。

They share that language trait with prairie dogs,

牠們跟草原犬鼠有共同的語言特色，

which live in towns of thousands,

這些犬鼠以上千個的數量 居住在一起。

and are hunted by coyotes, hawks, badgers, snakes, and humans.

牠們被草原狼、老鷹、獾、 蛇和人類獵殺。

Their alarms calls indicate the predator's size, shape, speed,

牠們的警訊會描述 捕獵者的大小、形狀和速度，

and, even for human predators, what the person is wearing

而且，若捕獵者是人類， 人類的衣著

and if he's carrying a gun.

和有沒有帶槍 牠們也能夠描述。

Great apes, like chimps and gorillas, are great communicators, too.

猿類，如黑猩猩和大猩猩， 其實也是厲害的溝通者。

Some have even learned a modified sign language.

有些還學會用 改良過的手語。

A chimpanzee named Washoe demonstrated discreteness

一個叫「沃肖」的黑猩猩 表現了語言的分立性

by combining multiple signs into original phrases,

也就是多種手語 變成原創的詞語，

like, "Please open. Hurry."

比如，「開啦，快。」

Coco, a female gorilla who understands more than 1000 signs,

「可可」， 是一隻通曉超過一千個手語，

and around 2000 words of spoken English

以及聽懂大約二千個英文字的雌猩猩

referred to a beloved kitten that had died.

提到了一隻已經死去的心愛貓咪。

In doing so, she displayed displacement,

如此，他表現了超越時空性，

though it's worth noting that the apes in both of these examples

雖然值得一提的是 例子中的這兩隻猿類

were using a human communication system,

都是用了人類的語言系統，

not one that appeared naturally in the wild.

而不是在野外自然出現的語言。

There are many other examples of sophisticated animal communication,

還有很多複雜的 動物溝通模式的例子，

such as in dolphins,

像海豚，

which use whistles to identify age, location, names, and gender.

會利用口哨來辨別年齡、地點 名字和性別。

They can also understand some grammar

牠們也明白

in a gestural language researchers use to communicate with them.

研究人員跟牠們溝通所使用的 手勢語言的文法。

However, grammar is not seen in the dolphin's natural communication.

然而，文法並不存在於 海豚自然溝通的語言裡。

While these communication systems

即便這些語言系統

may have some of the qualities of language we've identified,

或許我們可以辯識某些語言，

none display all four.

但沒有一種完全擁有 以上四種特質。

Even Washoe and Coco's impressive abilities are still outpaced

就連「沃肖」和「可可」的 驚人語言能力

也不如多數的三歲小朋友。

by the language skills of most three-year-old humans.

And animals' topics of conversation are usually limited.

而且動物的話題也備受局限。

Bees talk about food,

蜜蜂談論食物，

prairie dogs talk about predators,

草原犬鼠討論獵殺者，

and crabs talk about themselves.

螃蟹討論自己。

Human language stands alone

人類語言能夠鶴立雞群

due to the powerful combination of grammar and productivity,

在分立性和超越時空性之餘，

on top of discreteness and displacement.

也緣於文法和創新性的強大組合。

The human brain can take a finite number of elements

人類的頭腦可以取有限量的元素

and create an infinite number of messages.

來創造無限量的訊息。

We can craft and understand complex sentences,

我們可以創造和理解複雜的句子，

as well as words that have never been spoken before.

以及從來沒有說過的字。

We can use language to communicate about an endless range of subjects,

我們可以利用語言來談論 各種課題，

talk about imaginary things,

談論虛擬的事物，

and even lie.

還有撒謊。

Research continues to reveal more and more about animal communication.

研究繼續發現動物所溝通的新事物。

It may turn out that human language and animal communication

有可能人類語言和動物溝通

aren't entirely different but exist on a continuum.

不是完全不同的東西 而是有連續性的。

After all, we are all animals.

再怎麼說，我們都是動物。