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Assessing flexibility in meaning and context in non-human communication.

Marlen Fröhlich1,2, Juliette Aychet3, Peter R Clark4

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Summary

This study proposes standardized methods to analyze communication flexibility across species, addressing definitional gaps in language evolution research. This enhances cross-species comparisons for understanding the evolution of pragmatics.

Keywords:
comparative researchfacial signalgesturemultimodalitypragmaticsvocalisation

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Linguistics
  • Animal communication

Background:

  • Communication flexibility is key to understanding language evolution.
  • Current research faces challenges due to inconsistent definitions and methods across different communication modalities.
  • Pragmatics-first accounts of language evolution require a deeper understanding of contextual flexibility.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose detailed, standardized methods for studying contextual and functional variability in communication.
  • To develop modality-agnostic terminology for improved cross-species comparisons.
  • To provide a robust framework for investigating the evolutionary trajectory of communicative flexibility and pragmatics.

Main Methods:

  • Building on existing frameworks, the study details methods for analyzing contextual and functional variability.
  • Incorporating standardized terminology to facilitate cross-species comparisons.
  • Classifying communicative contexts and outcomes to differentiate context, function, and meaning.
  • Integrating insights from behavioral ecology and comparative psychology.

Main Results:

  • The proposed methods aim to disentangle context from function and meaning in communication.
  • Standardized terminology and classification systems are introduced.
  • Enhanced comparability of findings across different studies and species is expected.

Conclusions:

  • The study offers a robust foundation for exploring the evolutionary history of communicative flexibility.
  • Addressing methodological gaps will advance our understanding of pragmatics in language evolution.
  • The proposed framework supports more rigorous cross-species research in communication.