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Schlenker P, Coye C, Leroux M, Chemla E. The ABC-D of animal linguistics: are syntax and compositionality for real? Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1142-1159. [PMID: 36960599 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Abstract
In several animal species, an alarm call (e.g. ABC notes in the Japanese tit Parus minor) can be immediately followed by a recruitment call (e.g. D notes) to yield a complex call that triggers a third behaviour, namely mobbing. This has been taken to be an argument for animal syntax and compositionality (i.e. the property by which the meaning of a complex expression depends on the meaning of its parts and the way they are put together). Several additional discoveries were made across species. First, in some cases, animals respond with mobbing to the order alarm-recruitment but not to the order recruitment-alarm. Second, animals sometimes respond similarly to functionally analogous heterospecific calls they have never heard before, and/or to artificial hybrid sequences made of conspecific and heterospecific calls in the same order, thus adding an argument for the productivity of the relevant rules. We consider the details of these arguments for animal syntax and compositionality and argue that, with one important exception (Japanese tit ABC-D sequences), they currently remain ambiguous: there are reasonable alternatives on which each call is a separate utterance and is interpreted as such ('trivial compositionality'). More generally, we propose that future studies should argue for animal syntax and compositionality by explicitly pitting the target theory against two deflationary analyses: the 'only one expression' hypothesis posits that there is no combination in the first place, for example just a simplex ABCD call; while the 'separate utterances' hypothesis posits that there are separate expressions (e.g. ABC and D), but that they form separate utterances and are neither syntactically nor semantically combined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Schlenker
- Département d'Etudes Cognitives, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Institut Jean-Nicod (ENS - EHESS - CNRS), 29, rue d'Ulm, Paris, 75005, France
- PSL Research University, 60 Rue Mazarine, Paris, 75006, France
- Department of Linguistics, New York University, 10 Washington Place, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Camille Coye
- Département d'Etudes Cognitives, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Institut Jean-Nicod (ENS - EHESS - CNRS), 29, rue d'Ulm, Paris, 75005, France
- PSL Research University, 60 Rue Mazarine, Paris, 75006, France
| | - Maël Leroux
- Department of Comparative Language Science, University of Zürich, Affolternstrasse 56, Zürich, CH-8050, Switzerland
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE), University of Zürich, Affolternstrasse 56, Zürich, CH-8050, Switzerland
| | - Emmanuel Chemla
- PSL Research University, 60 Rue Mazarine, Paris, 75006, France
- LSCP (ENS - EHESS - CNRS), Département d'Etudes Cognitives, Ecole Normale Supérieure, 29, rue d'Ulm, Paris, 75005, France
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Schlenker P, Coye C, Steinert-Threlkeld S, Klinedinst N, Chemla E. Beyond Anthropocentrism in Comparative Cognition: Recentering Animal Linguistics. Cogn Sci 2022; 46:e13220. [PMID: 36479721 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.13220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Schlenker
- Institut Jean-Nicod (ENS - EHESS - CNRS), Département d'Etudes Cognitives, Ecole Normale Supérieure.,Paris Sciences et Lettres - PSL Research University Paris.,Department of Linguistics, New York University
| | - Camille Coye
- Institut Jean-Nicod (ENS - EHESS - CNRS), Département d'Etudes Cognitives, Ecole Normale Supérieure.,Paris Sciences et Lettres - PSL Research University Paris
| | | | - Nathan Klinedinst
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London
| | - Emmanuel Chemla
- Paris Sciences et Lettres - PSL Research University Paris.,LSCP (ENS - EHESS - CNRS), Département d'Etudes Cognitives, Ecole Normale Supérieure
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Dutour M, Fernández GJ, Randler C. How great tits respond to urgency‐based information in allopatric Southern house wren mobbing calls. Ethology 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mylène Dutour
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences University of Western Australia Crawley Western Australia Australia
| | - Gustavo J. Fernández
- Grupo de Investigación en Ecofisiología de Fauna Silvestre, INIBIOMA‐CONICET, Asentamiento Universitario San Martín de los Andes (AUSMA) Universidad Nacional del Comahue Neuquén Argentina
| | - Christoph Randler
- Department of Biology Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen Tübingen Germany
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Season does not influence the response of great tits (Parus major) to allopatric mobbing calls. J ETHOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-022-00752-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
AbstractMany species of birds emit mobbing calls to recruit prey to join mobbing events. This anti-predator strategy often involves several species and, therefore, implies heterospecific communication. Some species of tit exhibit a sensitivity to allopatric mobbing calls, suggesting that heterospecific recognition is based on an innate component. To date, however, we have no information on whether the perception of allopatric calls varies with season, despite seasonality playing an important role in the perception of heterospecific call in some species. In this study, I investigate the responses of European great tits (Parus major) to the calls of a North American bird species, the black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), during two seasons: spring and in autumn (breeding and non-breeding seasons, respectively). Great tits approached the sound source during both seasons, with no significant difference in response between seasons. These findings indicate that season does not influence the response of birds to allopatric calls, and will help to shed light on the evolution of interspecific communication.
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Which acoustic parameters modify the great tit’s response to conspecific combinatorial mobbing calls? Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03157-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Dutour M, Kalb N, Salis A, Randler C. Number of callers may affect the response to conspecific mobbing calls in great tits (Parus major). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-02969-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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7
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Salis A, Léna J, Lengagne T. Great tits (
Parus major
) adequately respond to both allopatric combinatorial mobbing calls and their isolated parts. Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ambre Salis
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR 5023 LEHNA, F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
| | - Jean‐Paul Léna
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR 5023 LEHNA, F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
| | - Thierry Lengagne
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR 5023 LEHNA, F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
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Wild great tits' alarm calls prompt vigilant behaviours in free-range chickens. Anim Cogn 2020; 24:213-216. [PMID: 33037460 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01440-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The ability to use heterospecific alarm calls is adaptive in the wild, as it provides an opportunity to avoid predators. We now know that several species are able to respond to alarm calls intended for others. However, this capacity has never been investigated in domestic animals. The capacity to use heterospecific alarm calls may be relevant for free-range domestic species, especially when they share predators with wild signallers. Using playback experiments, we investigated the vigilance behaviour of free-range naked neck chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) when confronted with alarm calls (test playbacks) and songs (control playbacks) of a commonly occurring wild passerine, the great tit (Parus major). We found that subjects exhibited an increased vigilance to alarm calls compared to songs, therefore, showing that chickens respond to heterospecific signals as wild birds do. Recently, there has been an increased interest for free-range poultry production, notably because of the benefits of this farming method for chicken welfare. Although future studies are required to address this question, mortality due to predation may be reduced through the implementation of structures in areas frequented by wild heterospecific signallers.
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Speck B, Seidita S, Belo S, Johnson S, Conley C, Desjonquères C, Rodríguez RL. Combinatorial Signal Processing in an Insect. Am Nat 2020; 196:406-413. [DOI: 10.1086/710527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Desjonquères C, Holt RR, Speck B, Rodríguez RL. The relationship between a combinatorial processing rule and a continuous mate preference function in an insect. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201278. [PMID: 32933444 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mate choice involves processing signals that can reach high levels of complexity and feature multiple components, even in small animals with tiny brains. This raises the question of whether and how such organisms deal with this complexity. One solution involves combinatorial processing, whereby different signal elements are processed as single units. Combinatorial processing has been described in several mammals and birds, and recently in a vibrationally signalling insect, Enchenopa treehoppers. Here, we ask about the relationship between combinatorial rules and mate preferences for continuously varying signal features. Enchenopa male advertisement signals are composed of two elements: a 'whine' followed by a set of pulses. The dominant frequency of the whine and element combination both matter to females. We presented synthetic signals varying in element order (natural [whine-pulses], reverse [pulses-whine]) and in frequency to Enchenopa females and recorded their responses. The reverse combination resulted in a decrease in attractiveness of the signals, and also slightly changed the shape of the preference for frequency. We found that females could be classified into three 'types': females with both a strong preference and a strong combinatorial rule, females with both a weak preference and weak rule, and females with a strong preference but a weak rule. Our results suggest that in Enchenopa signal processing, the mate preference for a continuous signal feature 'takes precedence' over, but also interacts with, the combinatorial rule. The relationship between the preference and the rule could evolve to take different forms according to selection on mate choice decisions. We suggest that exploring the relationship between such preferences and rules in species with more complex signals will bring insight into the evolution of the multi-component communication systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Desjonquères
- Behavioral and Molecular Ecology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Rebecca R Holt
- Behavioral and Molecular Ecology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Bretta Speck
- Behavioral and Molecular Ecology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Rafael L Rodríguez
- Behavioral and Molecular Ecology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
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11
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Great tit responses to the calls of an unfamiliar species suggest conserved perception of call ordering. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-2820-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Dutour M, Léna JP, Dumet A, Gardette V, Mondy N, Lengagne T. The role of associative learning process on the response of fledgling great tits (Parus major) to mobbing calls. Anim Cogn 2019; 22:1095-1103. [PMID: 31422482 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-019-01301-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2019] [Revised: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
When they detect a predator, many species emit anti-predator vocalizations. In some cases, they emit mobbing calls, which are associated with the caller approaching and harassing the predator while attracting others to join it. Surprisingly, although mobbing has been widely reported in adults of numerous species, there has been no test of the role of learning in mobbing call recognition, especially during ontogeny. Here, we exposed wild great tit (Parus major) nestlings to playbacks of an unthreatening novel sound either associated with conspecific mobbing calls (experimental treatment) or with another unthreatening novel sound (control treatment). We then tested them as nestlings and fledglings to see how they respond to the novel sound compared to conspecific mobbing calls. Results revealed that fledglings in the experimental treatment behaved similarly to conspecific mobbing calls and the novel sound associated with conspecific mobbing calls. Because mobbing efficiency is often linked to interspecific communication, associative learning should be used by heterospecifics as mobbing calls recognition mechanism. Regardless of treatment during the nestling phase, fledglings always were sensitive to the playback of conspecific mobbing calls. However, fledglings from the control group were more likely to approach the loudspeaker than those from the experimental group when mobbing calls were played suggesting that overexposure during the nestling phase altered mobbing learning. Overall, these results suggest that learning could play a role in the recognition of calls, like heterospecific mobbing calls, when paired with conspecific mobbing, and that mobbing is perceived as a threatening stimulus from a very young age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mylène Dutour
- Université de Lyon, UMR5023 Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés, Université Lyon 1, ENTPE, CNRS, 6 rue Raphaël Dubois, 69622, Villeurbanne, France.
| | - Jean-Paul Léna
- Université de Lyon, UMR5023 Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés, Université Lyon 1, ENTPE, CNRS, 6 rue Raphaël Dubois, 69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Adeline Dumet
- Université de Lyon, UMR5023 Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés, Université Lyon 1, ENTPE, CNRS, 6 rue Raphaël Dubois, 69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Vanessa Gardette
- Université de Lyon, UMR5023 Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés, Université Lyon 1, ENTPE, CNRS, 6 rue Raphaël Dubois, 69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Nathalie Mondy
- Université de Lyon, UMR5023 Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés, Université Lyon 1, ENTPE, CNRS, 6 rue Raphaël Dubois, 69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Thierry Lengagne
- Université de Lyon, UMR5023 Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés, Université Lyon 1, ENTPE, CNRS, 6 rue Raphaël Dubois, 69622, Villeurbanne, France
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