0:00:07.192,0:00:09.181 All animals communicate. 0:00:09.181,0:00:12.645 Crabs wave their claws at each other[br]to signal that they're healthy 0:00:12.645,0:00:13.964 and ready to mate. 0:00:13.964,0:00:17.468 Cuttlefish use pigmented skin cells[br]called chromatophores 0:00:17.468,0:00:21.556 to create patterns on their skin[br]that act as camouflage 0:00:21.556,0:00:23.476 or warnings to rivals. 0:00:23.476,0:00:25.889 Honeybees perform complex dances 0:00:25.889,0:00:31.061 to let other bees know the location[br]and quality of a food source. 0:00:31.061,0:00:34.889 All of these animals have impressive[br]communication systems, 0:00:34.889,0:00:37.266 but do they have language? 0:00:37.266,0:00:38.555 To answer that question, 0:00:38.555,0:00:43.052 we can look at four specific qualities[br]that are often associated with language: 0:00:43.052,0:00:44.232 discreteness, 0:00:44.232,0:00:46.356 grammar, 0:00:46.356,0:00:48.054 productivity, 0:00:48.054,0:00:50.180 and displacement. 0:00:50.180,0:00:53.330 Discreteness means that there is a set[br]of individual units, 0:00:53.330,0:00:55.473 such as sounds or words, 0:00:55.473,0:00:59.044 that can be combined[br]to communicate new ideas, 0:00:59.044,0:01:02.158 like a set of refrigerator poetry magnets[br]you can rearrange 0:01:02.158,0:01:04.506 to create different phrases. 0:01:04.506,0:01:06.433 Grammar provides a system of rules 0:01:06.433,0:01:09.841 that tells you how to combine [br]those individual units. 0:01:09.841,0:01:12.954 Productivity is the ability [br]to use language 0:01:12.954,0:01:16.942 to create an infinite number of messages. 0:01:16.942,0:01:19.798 And displacement is the ability [br]to talk about things 0:01:19.798,0:01:21.722 that aren't right in front of you, 0:01:21.722,0:01:25.809 such as past, future, or fictional events. 0:01:25.809,0:01:30.045 So, does animal communication exhibit [br]any of these qualities? 0:01:30.045,0:01:33.097 For crabs and cuttlefish, [br]the answer is no. 0:01:33.097,0:01:36.313 They don't combine their signals [br]in creative ways. 0:01:36.313,0:01:39.747 Those signals also don't have to be [br]in a grammatical order, 0:01:39.747,0:01:42.704 and they only communicate [br]current conditions, 0:01:42.704,0:01:46.175 like, "I am healthy," [br]or "I am poisonous." 0:01:46.175,0:01:50.447 But some animals actually do display[br]some of these properties. 0:01:50.447,0:01:55.558 Bees use the moves, angle, duration,[br]and intensity of their waggle dance 0:01:55.558,0:01:59.694 to describe the location and richness[br]of a food source. 0:01:59.694,0:02:01.920 That source is outside the hive, 0:02:01.920,0:02:05.190 so they exhibit the property [br]of displacement. 0:02:05.190,0:02:08.408 They share that language trait[br]with prairie dogs, 0:02:08.408,0:02:10.494 which live in towns of thousands, 0:02:10.494,0:02:16.156 and are hunted by coyotes, hawks,[br]badgers, snakes, and humans. 0:02:16.156,0:02:20.617 Their alarms calls indicate[br]the predator's size, shape, speed, 0:02:20.617,0:02:24.832 and, even for human predators,[br]what the person is wearing 0:02:24.832,0:02:27.593 and if he's carrying a gun. 0:02:27.593,0:02:31.765 Great apes, like chimps and gorillas,[br]are great communicators, too. 0:02:31.765,0:02:34.656 Some have even learned [br]a modified sign language. 0:02:34.656,0:02:38.513 A chimpanzee named Washoe[br]demonstrated discreteness 0:02:38.513,0:02:42.118 by combining multiple signs[br]into original phrases, 0:02:42.118,0:02:44.422 like, "Please open. Hurry." 0:02:44.422,0:02:48.558 Coco, a female gorilla who understands[br]more than 1000 signs, 0:02:48.558,0:02:51.736 and around 2000 words of spoken English 0:02:51.736,0:02:54.892 referred to a beloved kitten [br]that had died. 0:02:54.892,0:02:57.514 In doing so, she displayed displacement, 0:02:57.514,0:03:00.517 though it's worth noting that the apes[br]in both of these examples 0:03:00.517,0:03:03.502 were using a human communication system, 0:03:03.502,0:03:06.648 not one that appeared [br]naturally in the wild. 0:03:06.648,0:03:10.367 There are many other examples[br]of sophisticated animal communication, 0:03:10.367,0:03:11.716 such as in dolphins, 0:03:11.716,0:03:17.442 which use whistles to identify age, [br]location, names, and gender. 0:03:17.442,0:03:19.370 They can also understand some grammar 0:03:19.370,0:03:23.481 in a gestural language researchers use[br]to communicate with them. 0:03:23.481,0:03:28.347 However, grammar is not seen [br]in the dolphin's natural communication. 0:03:28.347,0:03:30.004 While these communication systems 0:03:30.004,0:03:33.439 may have some of the qualities [br]of language we've identified, 0:03:33.439,0:03:35.913 none display all four. 0:03:35.913,0:03:40.002 Even Washoe and Coco's impressive [br]abilities are still outpaced 0:03:40.002,0:03:43.890 by the language skills [br]of most three-year-old humans. 0:03:43.890,0:03:47.163 And animals' topics of conversation[br]are usually limited. 0:03:47.163,0:03:48.672 Bees talk about food, 0:03:48.672,0:03:50.799 prairie dogs talk about predators, 0:03:50.799,0:03:53.911 and crabs talk about themselves. 0:03:53.911,0:03:56.196 Human language stands alone 0:03:56.196,0:04:00.051 due to the powerful combination[br]of grammar and productivity, 0:04:00.051,0:04:03.305 on top of discreteness and displacement. 0:04:03.305,0:04:05.880 The human brain can take [br]a finite number of elements 0:04:05.880,0:04:08.864 and create an infinite number of messages. 0:04:08.864,0:04:11.561 We can craft and understand [br]complex sentences, 0:04:11.561,0:04:15.004 as well as words that have never[br]been spoken before. 0:04:15.004,0:04:18.576 We can use language to communicate[br]about an endless range of subjects, 0:04:18.576,0:04:20.594 talk about imaginary things, 0:04:20.594,0:04:22.750 and even lie. 0:04:22.750,0:04:27.096 Research continues to reveal more[br]and more about animal communication. 0:04:27.096,0:04:30.783 It may turn out that human language[br]and animal communication 0:04:30.783,0:04:34.449 aren't entirely different[br]but exist on a continuum. 0:04:34.449,0:04:36.921 After all, we are all animals.