Construing Complex Referentiality in Interspecies Interaction: Embodiment and Biosemiotics.

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Animal Cognition
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Interspecies communication is a growing area of research.
• Understanding how children adapt their language for pets offers insights into social cognition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze variations in children's speech directed at pets.
• To investigate the treatment of semantic complexity in child-pet interactions.
• To explore how children manage communication across different semiotic worlds.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 19 video recordings of French-speaking children (6-12 years) interacting with cats and dogs.
• Quantitative analysis of speech properties and ongoing activities.
• Qualitative analysis of referential constructions during play sequences.

Main Results:

• Children spoke more to dogs than cats.
• A strong correlation was found between play activity and speech quantity.
• Utterances directed at pets were shorter, suggesting syntactic simplification.
• Complex semantic configurations were enacted through embodied, indexical means during play.
• Children demonstrated awareness of differing semiotic worlds in interactions.

Conclusions:

• Child-pet communication exhibits simplified syntax but potentially complex semantic structures.
• Embodied and indexical cues play a crucial role in conveying meaning.
• Children adapt their communication strategies, showing sophisticated understanding in interspecies interactions.