The use of language refers to the cognitive abilities of non-human animals. The study of cognition is one of the urgent problems of modern science of animal behavior, since it only serves as a source of data for the reconstruction of the emergence and development of the cognitive functions in the early stages of the anthropogenesis.
Many non-human animals found very complex communication systems, but can we say that they have language similar to the one, used by the people? The problem here is in the deciphering of the natural animal communication. The point, however, is that, with specific situations in which there is an animal, as well as accompanying them mimic and acoustic signal flow, it is very difficult to isolate the unit, indicating a particular object or effect (Tomasello and Rakoczy).
Thus, there can be made no comparison between the ‘language’ of animals and human language. While the animal can only send a signal to his fellow on the phenomena of the limited, immediate situation, a person through the use of language can inform other people about the past, present and future, to transfer them to a social experience.
In the history of mankind due to the language it took place the restructuring of the reflecting possibilities: the world reflected in the human brain is most adequately. Every single person use the experience through the language, developed at the centuries-old practice of the society, a person can get the knowledge about the phenomena, with which he personally has never met. In addition, the language allows a person to be aware of the content of the majority of sensory impressions.
In the history of mankind took place due to language reflecting restructuring possibilities: the world reflected in the human brain is most adequately. Every single person enjoyed the experience through language, developed at the centuries-old practice of the society, he can get the knowledge about such phenomena with which he personally never will meet. In addition, the language allows a person to be aware of the content of the majority of sensory impressions (Hedeager).
The difference in the ‘language’ of non-human animals and human language determines the difference in thinking. This is explained by the fact that every single mental function is developed in conjunction with other features (Hedeager).
Many experiments of the researchers have shown that the higher animals tend only to the practical thinking. Only in the process of the orientating manipulating the monkey is capable to solve a particular situational problem. The abstract ways of thinking has not yet been observed in monkeys by the researchers.
The non-human animal can only act within the visually perceived situation, it can not go beyond it, to abstract from it and learn the abstract principles. The non-human animal is a ‘slave’ of the directly perceived situation. Human behavior is characterized by the ability to abstract from this particular situation and to anticipate the consequences that may arise in connection with this situation.
Therefore, non-human animals have their own communicative methods, which can be called as language, nevertheless, non-human animals cannot use human language to the full extend due to the differences in the cognitive capabilities of the non-human animals and humans.
Works Cited
Benveniste, E. 'Animal Communication And Human Language: The Language Of The Bees'. Diogenes 1.1 (1953): 1-7. Web.
Hedeager, Ulla. 'IS LANGUAGE UNIQUE TO THE HUMAN SPECIES?'. Web. 21 July 2015.
Tomasello, Michael, and Hannes Rakoczy. 'What Makes Human Cognition Unique? From Individual To Shared To Collective Intentionality'. Mind and Language 18.2 (2003): 121-147. Web.
