Animal Communication and Human Language

The study of the psychology of language is also known as psycholinguistics. In this series of lectures, we

will address two main questions:

1. How does language operate?

2. Is language domain-specific or domain-general?

Domain-specific:

Language dealt with by specific, language-only mental modules that have specialized

processes that are not available to other cognitive operations

Domain-general:

There exists one general cognitive system of which language is a part. Language,

memory, reasoning, etc., interact, share information, and operate by a single set of general principles.

Animal language?

Is language a uniquely human ability, or can other animals use language too?

Continuity view:

Language evolved gradually from older, more primitive communication abilities. We

should be able to see at least some elements of language…