Animals do Not have Language

Do Animals Have Language?

In our TOK class, we discussed this question thoroughly. Firstly, it was necessary to define language. Language is considerably different to communication, and we often mistake the two for each other, coming to the rash conclusion that animals have language. What is rather accurate, is the animals have communication. They are able to convey a demand or an exclamation to their fellow animals, yet they are not in the state to discuss ideas and use profound descriptions. Dolphins for example, are able to utter sounds to warn the others if danger is near. Because everybody accepts these sounds as meaning the same and reacts to them, the dolphins have a means of communication. Even though language encompasses more than one type, for example body language, animals merely have a limited amount of signs and noises to communicate, whereas humans are able to lengthily describe and express per se emotions and other complex ideas. I think language is distinguished from communication with its content and its purpose, and there fore the human ability to communicate emotions and thoughts etc.. with other humans exceeds animals primal and basic communication for survival purposes.