One of the reasons to study cognitive science is to understand how information is represented, processed and transformed within nervous system of humans and animals. Such understanding necessarily requires comparison of communication within and outside different species. This might help us support the idea that human communication is actually different if not over and above other species' communication process.
If we look at how humans communicate, both verbally and nonverbally, it is only a set of people who understand a single language (both sign & verbal). For example, a European with English as his only known language would find it difficult to express his idea to say only Hindi Indian. Even the signs he'll use to describe his thoughts would be way different from the understanding of the Indian. Here both the language and the place people belong to play a significant role. Even on the level of perception, here, even if the reader and I know the same language and even are from same place, what he infers from this write-up might be completely different from what I am trying to put across.
Now if we see animal communication, and for that matter even human- animal interaction, we see a smoother understanding being generated between the two. I'm no expert in animal communication, but what I have seen and observed is that theirs is a Universal language. A cow from Delhi might not find it difficult to communicate with another cow in Tamil Nadu whereas for a Delhite it would be really difficult to communicate in the state of Tamil Nadu.
Not only place or language but the sense perception, previous knowledge through education, reason, imagination, faith, emotion etc play equally important role in communication. This extra baggage is not carried by animals per se. Thus the purpose of attending this question as a part of this inquiry would help in deeper understanding of human mind.
If we look at how humans communicate, both verbally and nonverbally, it is only a set of people who understand a single language (both sign & verbal). For example, a European with English as his only known language would find it difficult to express his idea to say only Hindi Indian. Even the signs he'll use to describe his thoughts would be way different from the understanding of the Indian. Here both the language and the place people belong to play a significant role. Even on the level of perception, here, even if the reader and I know the same language and even are from same place, what he infers from this write-up might be completely different from what I am trying to put across.
Now if we see animal communication, and for that matter even human- animal interaction, we see a smoother understanding being generated between the two. I'm no expert in animal communication, but what I have seen and observed is that theirs is a Universal language. A cow from Delhi might not find it difficult to communicate with another cow in Tamil Nadu whereas for a Delhite it would be really difficult to communicate in the state of Tamil Nadu.
Not only place or language but the sense perception, previous knowledge through education, reason, imagination, faith, emotion etc play equally important role in communication. This extra baggage is not carried by animals per se. Thus the purpose of attending this question as a part of this inquiry would help in deeper understanding of human mind.
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