Natures wonders: dogs know and use words (Introduction)

by David Turell , Thursday, August 29, 2024, 16:15 (84 days ago) @ dhw

DAVID; that dogs learn words is obvious. That they can use them with meaning is not surprising. We generally talk at dogs. Now we know they can talk back.

dhw: It’s equally revealing that humans are beginning to understand the “languages” used by their fellow creatures. It is simply absurd to assume that any life form that exists within a community could possibly survive without communication. We humans like to define language in terms of the spoken or written human word, and I’m sure no one will deny that our form of language is almost infinitely richer than any other, but we are prepared to allow the term “body language”, which has nothing to do with words, and in my view we should also extend it to the songs of birds and whales, the chemical means used by insects and other cell communities, and the many different sounds and gestures produced by all the animals you can think of. We are unique in the sheer scale of our consciousness, intellect, learning and language, but all of these have evolved from earlier forms.

My dog communicates in many ways. It is as simple as a paw placed on a knee.