Can we speak/communicate to any animal, in THEIR language?

[jeff kushner]

I'm really hoping that those steeply educated in the Animal Sciences and also those that work with animals like Tom will answer because I'd love for this to be true, but I don't think it is.

I haven't found any instances or examples where we humans can communicate with any other species, in their own language.

I think "in their own language is important because it provides distinction from you believing the creature understands you, even if it indeed does.

Training and tricks aside, have we as humans developed the skills to communicate with any other creature in their language?

 

[wellington]

I'm not steeply educated in animals. I also don't work with a bunch. Only dogs in the past.
However, I think we can speak to some in their own language. Humans have recordings of whales, dolphins, gorillas, and others communicating with their own species. The humans supposedly figured out what a lot of those sounds are meaning. They can communicate with those same sounds. However, as humans, we tend to train the animals to understand our voice, sounds or commands, as we want them to learn what we want them to do. Plus it's easier to use and train our own language/commands. Where the animals would not be speaking to their own to do tricks, etc, but for more natural life saving reasons, such as mating, a threat is near, and a few other reasons.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

 

[Cathie G]

I think we communicate on a different level with our animals. My brother's cat will come to him or me. I speak English Joe speaks Joe.😁 but sometimes I think I've heard Dilly speak an English word or some noise Joe would make. Especially at night when he talks the most the little brat. It's weird my rabbit doesn't say anything . She does thump for emphasis though. Or plays her Fisher Price piano. It's weird. I can feel her even when I'm sleeping. If something's not right with her it wakes me up. I can see in my tortoise's eyes how he feels. When he's begging to go outside I can see the emotion. And there's a smile in his eyes when I take him out. So I think we do speak their language in a way. Another example is newborn babies. How do we figure out what they want? We don't have to scream back at them and even if we'd like to we usually don't 😁 but we both get the message usually.

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm a believer in mental telepathy. I've tried to send mental pictures to my dog or cat, but I'm not speaking their language.

 

[TammyJ]

No.

 

[TammyJ]

No.

Tammy! What about the baboons???!

 

[Tom]

I'm really hoping that those steeply educated in the Animal Sciences and also those that work with animals like Tom will answer because I'd love for this to be true, but I don't think it is.

I haven't found any instances or examples where we humans can communicate with any other species, in their own language.

I think "in their own language is important because it provides distinction from you believing the creature understands you, even if it indeed does.

Training and tricks aside, have we as humans developed the skills to communicate with any other creature in their language?

Animals generally don't have "language" as we know it. They communicate with certain sounds, yes, but that isn't "language". Most of their communication is non-verbal. Their language then would be "body language", and yes, they can absolutely understand our body language, and we theirs. Can't you tell when a dog is pissed or when its friendly?

And yes Tammy, baboons are one of the easiest animals I have found to communicate with. People find them aggressive and unpredictable, but that is non-sense. Complete rubbish. They surely can be aggressive in some circumstances, as can humans and every other animal, but that behavior, and all of their other behavior is totally and completely understandable and 100% predictable. I've trained several of them and had wonderful relationships with them. I've also walked amongst and sat with wild baboons in Africa and had no problems. My South African girlfriend at the time was with me and she was barely able to control herself because she had been taught her whole life, incorrectly, that baboons were wild unpredictable creatures that would attack out of nowhere for no reason. When I asked her and several other South Africans how many times they had ever been attacked since they live their entire lives surrounded by the creatures, every person's answer was, "never". Each of them had a story about a friend's brother's cousin's sibling that had been attacked, but when pressed for details, none of them were injured and in every case the baboon had simply walked up and "mugged" them, essentially helping themselves to the food that the person was openly carrying by simply scaring the hairless ape into dropping the food and running. Not one bite or scratch was ever reported, yet the people over there live in terrible fear of them. It was mildly amusing to me to ponder as her and I sat amongst a troop of more than 30 of them observing their interactions with each other and with us. The dominant male subtly let me/us know when he'd had enough of my/our shenanigans and told me when it was time for us to take our leave. If you want to understand baboons and their "culture", get a book called "Almost Human" by Shirley Strum. She's the Jane Goodall and Dianne Fossey of baboons. If you choose to read it, prepare to look at baboons and other primates differently for the rest of your life.

@jeff kushner Please explain your question further. My initial answer is yes, but I'm not sure I understand exactly what you are asking. I can stand in front of any of my dogs and give verbal or silent hand cues and they will do whatever I'm asking. Am I speaking their language? Or have I taught them to speak mine? Is there even a difference? I can grunt or lip smack any baboon in any zoo and get a response from them. I do it nearly every time. I have to be careful not to make the males mad, or they will punish the females for canoodling with the male human. Its almost always a low ranking female that responds to me, as the higher ranking females have their needs met by the male, and dare not upset him. Its the lower ranking females that are looking for a way to "jump ship" and improve their status. I can "chuff" at tigers and get them to answer back. I can make that gobble gobble turkey noise and even wild turkeys hidden in the bush will answer back. I know a guy that whispers barely audible commands to his elephant and the elephant performs amazing feats. Howling at/with wolves or dogs, gurgling at my camel, squeaking at a water buffalo or orangutan, hooting with chimps, "laughing" with chimps, etc... The list is endless. Are these the kinds of examples you are looking for? It sure seems to me that I am speaking their language when I do these things and get a predictable response from them. Even more so with "trained" responses. All I have to do to call my hawks out of a soar up in the thermals is raise my gloved hand. They will dive out of the sky as fast as any falcon. When my Harris' hawks have a rabbit "pinned" in heavy brush, but they can't reach it due to the thick cover, they literally have a call for me to come over and flush it for them. They have another different call to warn me and each other of a dog or coyote in the field. In each case, I'm pretty sure that I have learned to "speak" and respond appropriately to their verbal communication directed toward me, and in turn, they respond to my "calls" as well. "HEY! There's a rabbit right over here! Come on!!!"

 

[jeff kushner]

Thanks guys for your answers...I really do appreciate it!

As is often the case in my mind with these wonderments, the first question is just the beginning........and in the end, we get to; "how can we talk with Aliens if we can't even hold a conversation with a single creature on the planet?"

In most studies, many assumptions are made. This makes the apparent results mostly supposition doesn't it? The animal did not tell us this was what she was doing, we simply assume that we know what they meant and not only that, we also assume to know the reason. It may actually be correct but it all seems a bit aloof to me too.


Words like "might, "could", "possibly" "probably" are red flags to me when reading studies....to me they denote softness in the material.

They communicate with certain sounds, yes, but that isn't "language". Most of their communication is non-verbal. Their language then would be "body language"

This is the part that I did not take into consideration...and it makes perfect sense!

Making noises surely holds inherent dangers for those living wild as it can betray your location to others who would like to eat you. It's also a godsend to those using echo location(a neat trick most can do with a tiny bit of practice). It would make sense in a hostile world to eliminate as much risk as possible and to magnify the visual cues.

We can elicit responses from many species as pointed out but even then, do we really KNOW what the animal is thinking? Many animals are self aware, what about communicating with them? Many primates, sea rays etc.

Ever take a mirror snorkeling? I took a 8" mirror snorkeling in Belize and the boat guys were wondering why I had a mirror. They lived their all their lives and had no idea. I imagine they will be renting mirrors to tourists next time we go? Rays and Sharks both are two of the oldest creatures the planet has ever known...but only one is self-aware. Wow.
Sharks will go right past but not the Rays, they will stop, turn around, watch themselves in the mirror.....they seem to want to "play". I

"seem to" is not clear communication though and it left me longing for a way to "talk" to my new friend with more than gentle caresses' and arm movements.....and maybe there is no equivalent in the animal world?


So here we are....apples and carrots? LOL


As always, thanks!

 

[jeff kushner]

I went out to cook dinner on the grill an hour ago and I heard a squirrel moaning...I knew instantly that there was either a snake or a Hawk nearby, it was the alarm moan. I scanned the trees figuring that it's too late in the season for a hunting snake....and sure enough, I spotted the Redtail.

So I guess the whole question becomes.....what is communication? Maybe we, I need to listen more?

Tom listed a bunch of examples as well, quite often we know exactly what they are "saying".

What I lack is being able to interpret with certainty what they are telling me. I might think I know or even believe I can "feel" what they are telling me but there's always a question for me....

I had a close encounter with a fawn with spots at 4am this morning that I posted about elsewhere(CDR) and for the 2nd time in my life, I kissed a wild baby fawn with spots on the forehead...that's cool stuff!

 

[TechnoCheese]

I had a close encounter with a fawn with spots at 4am this morning that I posted about elsewhere(CDR) and for the 2nd time in my life, I kissed a wild baby fawn with spots on the forehead...that's cool stuff!

How cute!

 

[TammyJ]

When my Iggy bobs his head at me, I know he's NOT saying "good morning!" And although he truly hates humans, he hates them even more if they are wearing the colour red, or anything on their heads.
I know that when I come into the kitchen in the morning, and both my dogs Sit and Grin and Wag Tails, they are asking me for a treat. But that's how they have learned to react with me, not anything I have learned from them, right?

 

[TammyJ]

Thanks guys for your answers...I really do appreciate it!

As is often the case in my mind with these wonderments, the first question is just the beginning........and in the end, we get to; "how can we talk with Aliens if we can't even hold a conversation with a single creature on the planet?"

In most studies, many assumptions are made. This makes the apparent results mostly supposition doesn't it? The animal did not tell us this was what she was doing, we simply assume that we know what they meant and not only that, we also assume to know the reason. It may actually be correct but it all seems a bit aloof to me too.


Words like "might, "could", "possibly" "probably" are red flags to me when reading studies....to me they denote softness in the material.


This is the part that I did not take into consideration...and it makes perfect sense!

Making noises surely holds inherent dangers for those living wild as it can betray your location to others who would like to eat you. It's also a godsend to those using echo location(a neat trick most can do with a tiny bit of practice). It would make sense in a hostile world to eliminate as much risk as possible and to magnify the visual cues.

We can elicit responses from many species as pointed out but even then, do we really KNOW what the animal is thinking? Many animals are self aware, what about communicating with them? Many primates, sea rays etc.

Ever take a mirror snorkeling? I took a 8" mirror snorkeling in Belize and the boat guys were wondering why I had a mirror. They lived their all their lives and had no idea. I imagine they will be renting mirrors to tourists next time we go? Rays and Sharks both are two of the oldest creatures the planet has ever known...but only one is self-aware. Wow.
Sharks will go right past but not the Rays, they will stop, turn around, watch themselves in the mirror.....they seem to want to "play". I

"seem to" is not clear communication though and it left me longing for a way to "talk" to my new friend with more than gentle caresses' and arm movements.....and maybe there is no equivalent in the animal world?


So here we are....apples and carrots? LOL


As always, thanks!

There is actually AMSLAN - (I think) for "American Sign Language" - between humans and apes - chimps at any rate! But it's what we have taught them, and not what they have taught us...so far anyway!

 

[Yvonne G]

I think American Sign Language is ASL. Was that the good Tammy? or the bad Tammy?

 

[Cathie G]

I'm a believer in mental telepathy. I've tried to send mental pictures to my dog or cat, but I'm not speaking their language.

Me too.😊 I answered earlier in this thread. Dilly showed me he understood me perfectly by actually doing as I asked. All I really did was point to his dog bed?😁 and he's a cat 😁😁😁🤗

 

[wellington]

Animals generally don't have "language" as we know it. They communicate with certain sounds, yes, but that isn't "language". Most of their communication is non-verbal. Their language then would be "body language", and yes, they can absolutely understand our body language, and we theirs. Can't you tell when a dog is pissed or when its friendly?

And yes Tammy, baboons are one of the easiest animals I have found to communicate with. People find them aggressive and unpredictable, but that is non-sense. Complete rubbish. They surely can be aggressive in some circumstances, as can humans and every other animal, but that behavior, and all of their other behavior is totally and completely understandable and 100% predictable. I've trained several of them and had wonderful relationships with them. I've also walked amongst and sat with wild baboons in Africa and had no problems. My South African girlfriend at the time was with me and she was barely able to control herself because she had been taught her whole life, incorrectly, that baboons were wild unpredictable creatures that would attack out of nowhere for no reason. When I asked her and several other South Africans how many times they had ever been attacked since they live their entire lives surrounded by the creatures, every person's answer was, "never". Each of them had a story about a friend's brother's cousin's sibling that had been attacked, but when pressed for details, none of them were injured and in every case the baboon had simply walked up and "mugged" them, essentially helping themselves to the food that the person was openly carrying by simply scaring the hairless ape into dropping the food and running. Not one bite or scratch was ever reported, yet the people over there live in terrible fear of them. It was mildly amusing to me to ponder as her and I sat amongst a troop of more than 30 of them observing their interactions with each other and with us. The dominant male subtly let me/us know when he'd had enough of my/our shenanigans and told me when it was time for us to take our leave. If you want to understand baboons and their "culture", get a book called "Almost Human" by Shirley Strum. She's the Jane Goodall and Dianne Fossey of baboons. If you choose to read it, prepare to look at baboons and other primates differently for the rest of your life.

@jeff kushner Please explain your question further. My initial answer is yes, but I'm not sure I understand exactly what you are asking. I can stand in front of any of my dogs and give verbal or silent hand cues and they will do whatever I'm asking. Am I speaking their language? Or have I taught them to speak mine? Is there even a difference? I can grunt or lip smack any baboon in any zoo and get a response from them. I do it nearly every time. I have to be careful not to make the males mad, or they will punish the females for canoodling with the male human. Its almost always a low ranking female that responds to me, as the higher ranking females have their needs met by the male, and dare not upset him. Its the lower ranking females that are looking for a way to "jump ship" and improve their status. I can "chuff" at tigers and get them to answer back. I can make that gobble gobble turkey noise and even wild turkeys hidden in the bush will answer back. I know a guy that whispers barely audible commands to his elephant and the elephant performs amazing feats. Howling at/with wolves or dogs, gurgling at my camel, squeaking at a water buffalo or orangutan, hooting with chimps, "laughing" with chimps, etc... The list is endless. Are these the kinds of examples you are looking for? It sure seems to me that I am speaking their language when I do these things and get a predictable response from them. Even more so with "trained" responses. All I have to do to call my hawks out of a soar up in the thermals is raise my gloved hand. They will dive out of the sky as fast as any falcon. When my Harris' hawks have a rabbit "pinned" in heavy brush, but they can't reach it due to the thick cover, they literally have a call for me to come over and flush it for them. They have another different call to warn me and each other of a dog or coyote in the field. In each case, I'm pretty sure that I have learned to "speak" and respond appropriately to their verbal communication directed toward me, and in turn, they respond to my "calls" as well. "HEY! There's a rabbit right over here! Come on!!!"

All those different noises you mention you made/make to the different animals, that's their language. Like with the Baboons, the noise you make, you know what the females will do, that's speaking their language. Wild animals, not only use body language but they, most if not all are also verbal. Like a mother dog. They can make a certain growl and the pup will know what it means. They can also grab the pup in a certain way and the pup knows what it means. That's their language. Training a dog with our signals or verbal commands, that's conditioning the dog to understand our language. So your initial answer of yes is correct, we can communicate to animals in their language. We just have to study them enough to learn what their language/noises mean in order to properly communicate with them.
The sounds you do make, do you know what they all mean in that particular animals language or do you just know that it's a noise they make? Ever make a noise/sound to one and realized that it must be a challenge sound?

 

[Cathie G]

Animals generally don't have "language" as we know it. They communicate with certain sounds, yes, but that isn't "language". Most of their communication is non-verbal. Their language then would be "body language", and yes, they can absolutely understand our body language, and we theirs. Can't you tell when a dog is pissed or when its friendly?

And yes Tammy, baboons are one of the easiest animals I have found to communicate with. People find them aggressive and unpredictable, but that is non-sense. Complete rubbish. They surely can be aggressive in some circumstances, as can humans and every other animal, but that behavior, and all of their other behavior is totally and completely understandable and 100% predictable. I've trained several of them and had wonderful relationships with them. I've also walked amongst and sat with wild baboons in Africa and had no problems. My South African girlfriend at the time was with me and she was barely able to control herself because she had been taught her whole life, incorrectly, that baboons were wild unpredictable creatures that would attack out of nowhere for no reason. When I asked her and several other South Africans how many times they had ever been attacked since they live their entire lives surrounded by the creatures, every person's answer was, "never". Each of them had a story about a friend's brother's cousin's sibling that had been attacked, but when pressed for details, none of them were injured and in every case the baboon had simply walked up and "mugged" them, essentially helping themselves to the food that the person was openly carrying by simply scaring the hairless ape into dropping the food and running. Not one bite or scratch was ever reported, yet the people over there live in terrible fear of them. It was mildly amusing to me to ponder as her and I sat amongst a troop of more than 30 of them observing their interactions with each other and with us. The dominant male subtly let me/us know when he'd had enough of my/our shenanigans and told me when it was time for us to take our leave. If you want to understand baboons and their "culture", get a book called "Almost Human" by Shirley Strum. She's the Jane Goodall and Dianne Fossey of baboons. If you choose to read it, prepare to look at baboons and other primates differently for the rest of your life.

@jeff kushner Please explain your question further. My initial answer is yes, but I'm not sure I understand exactly what you are asking. I can stand in front of any of my dogs and give verbal or silent hand cues and they will do whatever I'm asking. Am I speaking their language? Or have I taught them to speak mine? Is there even a difference? I can grunt or lip smack any baboon in any zoo and get a response from them. I do it nearly every time. I have to be careful not to make the males mad, or they will punish the females for canoodling with the male human. Its almost always a low ranking female that responds to me, as the higher ranking females have their needs met by the male, and dare not upset him. Its the lower ranking females that are looking for a way to "jump ship" and improve their status. I can "chuff" at tigers and get them to answer back. I can make that gobble gobble turkey noise and even wild turkeys hidden in the bush will answer back. I know a guy that whispers barely audible commands to his elephant and the elephant performs amazing feats. Howling at/with wolves or dogs, gurgling at my camel, squeaking at a water buffalo or orangutan, hooting with chimps, "laughing" with chimps, etc... The list is endless. Are these the kinds of examples you are looking for? It sure seems to me that I am speaking their language when I do these things and get a predictable response from them. Even more so with "trained" responses. All I have to do to call my hawks out of a soar up in the thermals is raise my gloved hand. They will dive out of the sky as fast as any falcon. When my Harris' hawks have a rabbit "pinned" in heavy brush, but they can't reach it due to the thick cover, they literally have a call for me to come over and flush it for them. They have another different call to warn me and each other of a dog or coyote in the field. In each case, I'm pretty sure that I have learned to "speak" and respond appropriately to their verbal communication directed toward me, and in turn, they respond to my "calls" as well. "HEY! There's a rabbit right over here! Come on!!!"

Hay 🥴

 

[Cathie G]

There is actually AMSLAN - (I think) for "American Sign Language" - between humans and apes - chimps at any rate! But it's what we have taught them, and not what they have taught us...so far anyway!

I've seen something about that too and actually got to meet Sarah the chimp doctor. She was amazing. She helped her chimps learn how to paint pictures.

 

[TammyJ]

I think American Sign Language is ASL. Was that the good Tammy? or the bad Tammy?

There's only one Tammy, Yvonne!

 

[TammyJ]

There's only one Tammy, Yvonne!

Liar.