Track 2

Unit 9

Linguistics

Animal Communication

Page 83

Build your vocabulary

1. Gerhard speaks English with a slight German accent. His pronunciation is a little different from someone who grew up in an English-speaking country.

2. Every language has many discrete sounds. For instance, in English the P in the word pale and T in the word tail are pronounced in different ways.

3. Some animals make meaningful sounds that are distinct from one another. For example, a low-pitched sound may communicate anger and a high-pitched sound excitement.

4. Human languages are very flexible. People can say the same thing in many different ways.

5. The songs used by older birds are passed on to the younger generation of birds. In this way, the young birds learn to sing like their parents.

6. Some chimpanzees have been taught to express an impressive number of ideas. Most people are surprised to learn that some chimps understand several hundred words.

7. Dogs express happiness using nonverbal behavior. They jump up and down in an excited way and wag their tails quickly.

8. Human communication is fairly precise, so we usually understand each other. For example, if you say, “look at my new hairstyle,” I know where to look.

9. Almost all animal communication seems random when we look at grammar. Animals seem to use no clear grammar rules.

10. Although some animals can communicate well within their own species, ultimately, their ability to communicate with humans is quite limited.