One of the ways humans learn about each other is by studying animals. The study of communication in animals is an important subject because it may provide clues as to why the human brain is so advanced. This information can potentially give us insight into how language evolved and where and why our skills emerged. Having grown up with a dog, this isn't the first time animal communication has come to mind. My Yorkshire Terrier, Shazzy, always seems to find a way to communicate her needs to me and my parents, and she even responds to our verbal commands. Before coming to the University of Iowa, I had viewed his actions and reactions as a form of “language.” However, now that we have reviewed the different characteristics of language, I no longer consider it language, but simply a system of communication. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Animals use a communication system. According to our lecture notes, a linguistic system is classified according to a transmitted signal, a mode of transmission and a purpose of the signal. Bees are an example. Bees are known to be very good at orienting themselves and being able to give an exact location to the hive. In the video we watched during the lecture, the bee used the position of the sun and performed a dance to show the direction and duration of the other bees' travel. The signal is the direction and distance transmitted, the mode is through their movement, and the goal is to find nectar. Another example of an animal communication system is where birds use a certain call to signify danger. There appears to be no greater complexity than expressing that there is a threat in the area. Both examples of communication occur here and now. However, one of the characteristics of human language that differentiates it from animal communication is its ability to communicate something distinct from the present time or present context, also called displacement. According to our lecture notes, six features of language are not present. in animal communication: arbitrariness, movement, productivity, discretion, semantics and duality of structures. The first, arbitrariness, means that there is no link between the signal and its meaning. For example, the phonemes combined to form "cat" in English have no connection or meaning to an actual cat. This is why each language has a unique word for cat. Animal communication, however, does not use arbitrary sounds. An example is a dog barking. When my dog ​​barks at me, he wants my attention for something, but it's not really clear why because the bark sounds the same every time. The second characteristic is displacement, briefly mentioned above. Displacement is the idea that we can communicate about something that is not currently happening. In the case of humans, some examples of displacement involve the future/past or what we hope for. Animal communication is not as advanced. Most examples of animal communication are expressed due to a reaction to their current environment. Some examples are a dog marking its territory, warning of a predator, deterring a predator. In the case of pets, they will communicate that they need food/water, to go out, or that they want to play. However, none of these examples show a shift from their current environment. An example of.