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by Guy Shaked
Keywords: Acoustics ,Bees, Dolphins, Language, Shaked
Theory
This article is an attempt to suggest experiments with dolphins aimed to deciphering their language (if indeed they have a language).
The model applied to the dolphin language would be the one from the language of the bees. The bees model was discovered in the 1920’s by the Austrian zoologist Karl von Frisch. He revealed that bees have a language of scent and “dance” [1].
Here, it would be suggested that features of the bees language might be applied and projected to the language of dolphins.
In the basis of the bees language projection lays an assumption: that dolphin language ahs a function for food foraging in a similar way to bees. This assumption seems plausible since food is needed for survival and therefore it is logical that language would develop to assist in the task of obtaining food.
In bees – it does. The bee signifies by its dance to the other members of the hive the distance to the food, the direction to he food relative to the sun and the type of food (by the scent it has on itself).
In the same manner it is possible to assume that a dolphin in a pod which noticed with his sonar a school of fish would want to communicate that to the dolphin pod.
Which parameters would be communicated? as in bees: direction, distance and type of food. Recent research has demonstrated that dolphins comprehend these concepts [2]. From the above assumption flows the possible method for deciphering dolphin language.
Experiments
In the dolphin reef some of the above assumed factors of dolphin language should be controlled.
For example the food (fish) might be given to the dolphin pod when they are at a fixed distance from the food dispensing location and swimming at a certain direction. Under these conditions Distance and Direction are factored out (eliminated variables from the language) and hence the type of food (type of fish) and amount f food (fish) would be the variable communicated on the dolphin’s sonar signal.
For another experiment the same type and the same amount of fish might be given to factor this variable out. And so might be factored out also the direction of the pod (for example when it is heading straight to the feeding post) and so the variable remaining would be the distance of the pod from the feeding post and showing on he sonar signal.
When these sound waves from the pod of dolphins would be examined, these repeating variables of dolphin language should occur in them. So that phase II of the experiments would be the analysis of the results.
Results and Analysis
The dolphins “hearing” sense is their major sense, they could as if “see” (in human equivalent) in sound. Analysis of he dolphins’ sound should therefore take that fact into account. They could notice parameters of sound humans are incapable of noticing.
For example could be significant in their sound waves the number of peaks of the sound. Could be also significant the relative height of peaks from one another or the contour of the sound bursts like a “visual signal” in sound.
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[1] Karl von Frisch & Thomas D. Seeley, The Dance Language and Orientation of Bees, Belknap Press: Cambridge MA, 1993
[2] Pack, A. A., & Herman, L. M. , "The dolphin's (Tursiops truncatus) understanding of human gaze and pointing: Knowing what and where", Journal of Comparative Psychology, 2007, no. 121, pp. 34-45
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