Detailed comparative studies have revealed many surface similarities between linguistic
communication and the communication of nonhumans. How should we interpret these …

A key challenge in the field of human language evolution is the identification of the selective
conditions that gave rise to language's generative nature. Comparative data on nonhuman …

A new, fully revised edition of this bestselling textbook in linguistic anthropology, updated to
address the impacts of globalization, pandemics, and other contemporary socio-economic …

Human language can express limitless meanings from a finite set of words based on
combinatorial rules (ie, compositional syntax). Although animal vocalizations may be …

Large bioacoustic archives of wild animals are an important source to identify reappearing
communication patterns, which can then be related to recurring behavioral patterns to …

Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) are highly social mammals that communicate
using sequences of clicks called codas. While a subset of codas have been shown to …

Language's expressive power is largely attributable to its compositionality: meaningful
words are combined into larger/higher-order structures with derived meaning. Despite its …

Syntax has been found in animal communication but only humans appear to have
generative, hierarchically structured syntax. How did syntax evolve? I discuss three theories …

What do animal signals mean? This is a central question in studies on animal
communication. Research into the semantics of animal signals began in 1980, with …

ABSTRACT A critical feature of language is that the form of words need not bear any
perceptual similarity to their function–these relationships can be 'arbitrary'. The capacity to …