Animal chat
n Hi HIW, How come we have no way of understanding or communicating with animals? Wouldn’t constant repetition and analysis of their own unique sounds give us this ability? While there have been many attempts to train apes to use sign language and parrots to speak to us, many of the sounds made by animals are alien noises to our ears. Scientists are trying to achieve what you ask by studying and analysing the noises of specific species. One scientist is believed to have succeeded in making sense of the noises made by prairie dogs, but there is a lot of analysis work to be done before we can be sure that these findings are correct. Different species have different abilities, including the likes of dolphins, who can make sounds our ears aren’t even able to hear, let alone analyse. Some people hold the view that animals have no language at all, or that the feat is impossible. Others want to bridge a gap between humans and animals. Maybe one day we will break down more of these interspecies language gaps, but it could be a long and complex process.