LIN 1310 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Arbitrariness, Hairstyle, Cultural Learning

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Many different species in the animal world have means of communicating. We communicate in all kinds of ways, showing that this notion is broader than any reasonably well-defined notion of language. We use language to communicate, but this appears to be just one of function among others (think of verbal thought, talking to yourself). Plant roots communicate with bacteria and fungi in the soil. Genes communicate with other genes, regulating their expression. Classifying a system as a communication system tells us pretty much nothing about its properties. Bottom line: the notion of communication is extremely vague. It seems like we need something more specific than this if we want to identify a well- defined object of scientific inquiry. The commonsense notions we have about communication and language, while useful in everyday conversation, are too vague to identify objects of scientific study.

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