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Humans and language -

In the field of linguistics, the general consensus is that our use of language as humans is what differentiates us from animals.

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Communication - There is even an official term for it: logocentrism. From the Greek logos, meaning "word" or "reason," this term captures the idea that those who use language are superior.

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Challenging that notion -

There is a small minority of linguists, however, who do not accept this notion, and who believe that the ways many animals communicate could also be classed as language.

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Previous research -

As early as the 1960s, linguists were working with chimpanzees and humpback whales in an effort to show that humans may not be as linguistically advanced as we like to believe.

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Current studies -

At present, a group of Dutch linguists continue this research, but this time the subjects of their attention are dairy cows.

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Focus of the research -

Based at the Meertens Institute in Amsterdam, sociolinguist Leonie Cornips and her team are studying the frequency, duration, and intensity of sounds made by cows.

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Broad definition of language -

Cornips is firm in her belief that language not only includes what comes out of the mouth, but rather what relates to the whole body.

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Different expressions of meaning -

The team is therefore studying other ways that meaning is expressed between cows, and not limiting themselves to just the sounds they produce.

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Observations so far -

The research is currently ongoing, but already the team has made some interesting observations.

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Greeting ritual -

For example, it has become apparent over time that cows have an elaborate greeting ritual that is not immediately obvious to non-bovines.

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New kid on the block -

This became obvious to Cornips and her team when they observed one particular cow who had been brought from a managed indoor facility to join five other cows in an outdoor pasture.

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Backing away -

To begin with, the newbie would back away when the researchers approached. They would walk straight up to the cow and try to touch her immediately.

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Personal space -

Over time, they realized that cows value their personal space in the same way as humans, and that they would need to respect that.

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Eye contact -

Cornips began to approach with her arms by her side, and learned to engage in a ritual whereby she and the cow took turns to look at each other, and then looked away.

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Learning the etiquette -

Cornips believes that her new friend was teaching her how to communicate, and that she needed to learn the proper etiquette.

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Patience -

Another observation that the team has made about the ways cows communicate is that there is a lot of patience involved.

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Mothers and calves -

For example, when a mother cow calls her calf, it can take up to 60 seconds for the calf to respond audibly.

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Bodily gestures -

During those 60 seconds, mother and calf engage in a laundry list of bodily gestures, such as ear wiggling.

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Austrian research -

Indeed, studies conducted on Austrian cows suggest that ear positioning and neck stretching are very important facets of cows’ language.

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Initiating communication -

The first move in an exchange between cows is likely to be a movement of the ears, shortly followed by a look.

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Using the surroundings -

Cornips has also observed that cows lean on their surroundings much more than humans when it comes to communicating between themselves.

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Banging on the fence -

For example, in one of the herds she studied, individual cows would bang on the fence to communicate with the rest of the herd at feeding time.

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Applying a broad definition -

According to Cornips and her broad understanding of what is encompassed by the term "language," these gestures can be viewed as a type of language.

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Varied responses - She has also observed that cows respond to her differently depending on whether she enters a barn with solid walls or open sides.

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Diverse linguistic expression -

According to Cornips, different physical environments allow for different opportunities for linguistic expression.

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Developing dialects -

She even thinks that cows may be capable of developing diverse language practices that could be thought of as dialects.

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Comparison with other species -

If we accept that cows do indeed communicate via their own language, it is tempting to compare their abilities with those of other species.

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Humpback whales -

Humpback whales, for example, are known to develop different dialects in different regions, and they are able to communicate over enormous distances.

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Different physical attributes -

However, such comparisons may not be particularly useful, because cows and whales have very different physical attributes.

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No ear wiggles -

For example, whales cannot move their ears as much as cows, so they cannot be expected to pack as much meaning into an ear wiggle.

Sources: (BBC)

See also: Fascinating ways animals communicate

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