LINGUAE-animals - Animal Linguistics Seminar
LINGUAE; LSCP, CNRS; Earth Species Project
LINGUAE, Institut Jean-Nicod, CNRS
LINGUAE, Institut Jean-Nicod, CNRS
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FORMAT
FORMAT
Following a successful trial session in July 2025, we will organize an online seminar on animal linguistics, entirely on Zoom, open world-wide:
1 hour including questions
followed by 15 minutes of individual Q&A (optional, for whoever wants to stay)
Following a successful trial session in July 2025, we will organize an online seminar on animal linguistics, entirely on Zoom, open world-wide:
1 hour including questions
followed by 15 minutes of individual Q&A (optional, for whoever wants to stay)
Disclaimer: Topics are skewed towards our group's interest, and some sessions might involve presentations by our team's members.
Organizers' emails
Organizers' emails
linguae.paris@gmail.com philippe.schlenker@gmail.com
NEXT SESSION: Wednesday, September 24, 17:00-18:00+ Paris time
NEXT SESSION: Wednesday, September 24, 17:00-18:00+ Paris time
To find the corresponding time where you live, use for instance this website.
TITLE: The study of compositional syntax in Parids: a comparative perspective
TITLE: The study of compositional syntax in Parids: a comparative perspective
ABSTRACT: Tits and chickadees are currently the focus of several experimental studies investigating the potential presence of non-trivial compositionality in birds’ calls. The most compelling evidence comes from research on mobbing calls of Japanese tits, which may involve a combination of an alert (F call) and a recruitment call (D call), arranged in a specific sequence (F then D). One approach to exploring this question is through comparative research, examining what is known about other species within the Paridae family. In this presentation, I will review current knowledge—and highlight key gaps—regarding the presence and potential meaning of the FD call in Parids, with particular emphasis on 1) its phylogenetic origins and 2) other experiments conducted on phylogenetically close species of the Japanese tit.
ABSTRACT: Tits and chickadees are currently the focus of several experimental studies investigating the potential presence of non-trivial compositionality in birds’ calls. The most compelling evidence comes from research on mobbing calls of Japanese tits, which may involve a combination of an alert (F call) and a recruitment call (D call), arranged in a specific sequence (F then D). One approach to exploring this question is through comparative research, examining what is known about other species within the Paridae family. In this presentation, I will review current knowledge—and highlight key gaps—regarding the presence and potential meaning of the FD call in Parids, with particular emphasis on 1) its phylogenetic origins and 2) other experiments conducted on phylogenetically close species of the Japanese tit.
Password: 657217
Note: If there are unexpected technical problems (e.g. malfunctioning Zoom link), we will (i) provide corrected information on this page, and (ii) contact you by email if you have registered.
MAILING LIST AND FEEDBACK
MAILING LIST AND FEEDBACK
You can provide feedback about the seminar here.
ONLINE INTERACTION
ONLINE INTERACTION
-Questions should be asked directly rather than through the chat unless technical problems get in the way.
-The speaker will stay for 15 minutes for individual questions after the talk.
-We will record sessions. But to ensure that this does not get in the way of online interactions, we will edit questions out if we ever make the video public (as opposed to just sharing the video on a person-by-person basis).
PREVIOUS SESSION: Tuesday, July 22, 17:00-18:00+ Paris
PREVIOUS SESSION: Tuesday, July 22, 17:00-18:00+ Paris
TITLE: Alarm call sequences in olive colobus: a primate grammar enabling incremental processing
TITLE: Alarm call sequences in olive colobus: a primate grammar enabling incremental processing
ABSTRACT: Characterizing the structure and function of animal communication systems provides insights into the cognitive and evolutionary processes shaping signal complexity. One key question is whether and how call sequences allow potential listeners to make predictions about the call-eliciting referents. In this talk, I will present findings from several years of field experiments on wild olive colobus monkeys in West Africa, investigating whether their call sequences contained properties that enabled predictive processing. I will begin by characterizing their vocal repertoire and outlining the combinatorial rules they use to produce call sequences. Using information-theoretic approaches, I will then show how I uncovered a simple primate grammar in which early sequence positions reliably signal urgency, while later calls provide increasing referential detail about the nature of the threat. I will argue that this structure enables incremental interpretation of vocal input, allowing listeners to update predictions as sequences unfold. These findings indicate that animal communication systems may possess features adapted for predictive, incremental processing, suggesting evolutionary roots older than language.
ABSTRACT: Characterizing the structure and function of animal communication systems provides insights into the cognitive and evolutionary processes shaping signal complexity. One key question is whether and how call sequences allow potential listeners to make predictions about the call-eliciting referents. In this talk, I will present findings from several years of field experiments on wild olive colobus monkeys in West Africa, investigating whether their call sequences contained properties that enabled predictive processing. I will begin by characterizing their vocal repertoire and outlining the combinatorial rules they use to produce call sequences. Using information-theoretic approaches, I will then show how I uncovered a simple primate grammar in which early sequence positions reliably signal urgency, while later calls provide increasing referential detail about the nature of the threat. I will argue that this structure enables incremental interpretation of vocal input, allowing listeners to update predictions as sequences unfold. These findings indicate that animal communication systems may possess features adapted for predictive, incremental processing, suggesting evolutionary roots older than language.
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