Weckler 1
Daniel Weckler
Alancraig
English 2H
15 May 2011
Dolphins, Humans, and Whistling Language
2820 Words
Abstract
My proposal aims to find a way to establish a means of communicating on an equal level
with another intelligent species – dolphins. Scientific studies have shown that dolphins have an
intelligence that is very similar to that of humans (Marino 970). Like humans, they are easily
capable of innovation, imitation, and social interaction (Marino 968; Rohan). They mainly
communicate vocalizations in the form of whistling, yet also make extensive use of nonverbal
communication ("How do dolphins communicate?"). While scientists are unsure if dolphins have
their own language similar to those spoken by humans, they have been shown to learn and
understand artificial languages such as sign language ("Herman's Dolphin Prodigies"). It is on
this premise that we base our experiment. We will attempt to teach dolphins a language called
the “Silbo Gomero” – a language which essentially “compresses” the Spanish language into
whistle form “to express all that can be said” (“Whistled Language”). We plan to use the Silbo
Gomero as a sort of “middle ground” between human forms of communication and dolphin
forms of communication. Unfortunately, the process is long term and will require extra funding
to complete. Our research in establishing an interspecies communication between humans and
dolphins could possibly become one of the most significant human achievements of the century.
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We appreciate your consideration of a future where dolphins and humans can communicate as
equals.
Statement of the Problem
Humankind has always asked the question, “is there any other intelligent life out there?”
We point our telescopes towards the sky, trying to catch the faintest hint of an intelligence in the
universe other than our own. We have programs like SETI (the search for extraterrestrial
intelligence) which listen to signals coming from space, hoping to communicate with (or find
evidence of) another intelligent species (SETI Institute). Ironically, nonhuman intelligent life
may already exist on our own planet. We just cannot really communicate with them – yet. In
fact, several intelligent species may exist on our planet, but the one that looks the most promising
for equivalent, intelligent interspecies communication is the dolphin.
The sheer number of similarities between dolphins and humans is baffling, to say the
least. Like us, they are masters of innovation, imitation, and social interaction (Marino 968;
Rohan). “No nonhuman animal has shown the levels of diversity, flexibility, and cognitive
control of imitative skill demonstrated in bottlenose dolphins” (Marino 970). They are even able
to recognize themselves in a mirror – that is, they are self aware (Marino 968). Humans and
dolphins have always had some sort of connection. After all, we have a lot in common. Since
ancient times, there have been many stories of dolphins reaching out to humans and saving them
from certain death by the jaws of a shark (The Cove). Wild dolphins often seek out contact with
humans by swimming near the beaches or riding the waves with surfers (The Cove). Our
connection with this species is, however, hampered by the fact that we are unable to efficiently
communicate with them.
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One might wonder, “Why is it so important to understand and communicate with
dolphins?” The most obvious result of learning to communicate on an equal level and hold a
conversation with dolphins is that it will serve as undeniable proof that they are an intelligent
species that deserves the same types of rights that we enjoy. Thus it will make the most
convincing case to mitigate or eliminate the brutal slaughter of thousands of dolphins per year,
since the killing of a species that has been proven to be at or around our level of intelligence may
ultimately be classified as murder (The Cove). There is also scientific curiosity that would be
addressed by such a breakthrough. Simply communicating with another species would be
groundbreaking in and of itself. What would we learn? What would they say to us? The ability to
actually “talk” to another species would undoubtedly be one of humankind's greatest
accomplishments.
Review of the Literature
Nonverbal communication – communicating without using words – is perhaps the most
basic way of conveying information. Most people know very little about just how much
information their bodies are broadcasting beyond simple smiles and hi-fives (Pease). Some
examples of human nonverbal communication are: crossed arms, which can be “an attempt to put
a barrier between the person and someone or something they don't like”; holding your hands
behind your back, which can display superiority and confidence; and the direction in which your
feet are pointing, which can display what you are interested in or where you might want to go
(Pease 93, 136, 214). These are only a few examples of the thousands of nonverbal
communication we see every day. It is likely that we are not used to noticing this because human
languages seem to be much better at expressing what needs to be said.
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Like other animals, dolphins also communicate using nonverbal signals. Slapping their
tails against the water can often be interpreted as a “sign of aggression” or simply as a means of
getting another dolphin's attention ("How do dolphins communicate?"). Jaw claps are almost
always interpreted as a “sign of aggression,” unless, of course, the dolphins are playing ("How
do dolphins communicate?"). Like humans, dolphins have skin that is sensitive to touch ("How
do dolphins communicate?"). They often use touching and rubbing behaviors with their fins and
bodies much like humans give hugs and handshakes ("How do dolphins communicate?").
Dolphins also have been shown to rest their fins on the body of another dolphin to convey
affection to their friend, similar to humans putting their arm around someone (How do dolphins
communicate?).
Interestingly, dolphin body language goes a step beyond human body language by
obeying the “law of brevity” of human verbal language. The law of brevity states that “the most
frequently used words are the shortest ones” (such as “and” or “but”)(“Human Language And
Dolphin Movement”). When dolphins are on the surface, they have been shown to exhibit more
short and “simple” movements. “The simple and efficient behaviour strategies of dolphins are
similar to those used by humans with words, and are the same as those used, for example, when
we reduce the size of a photographic or video image in order to save space" (“Human Language
And Dolphin Movement”). The fact that dolphin body language follows rules similar to human
written language, shows that it is actually a fairly “efficient” way of communicating from a
physical perspective (conserving their energy). It also hints at the possibility of the existence of a
natural dolphin language.
Nonverbal communication is obviously an excellent tool for conveying basic information
as well as emotional states in both humans and dolphins. However, it would not be reliable to use
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nonverbal communication as a basis for establishing meaningful, two-way communications
between our two species for several reasons. First off, while the “core” of body language is the
same for all humans, there is a fairly significant of difference in the interpretation of certain body
language signals across cultures (Pease 107-124). For example, “[the thumbs up sign] can mean
'good,' 'one,' 'up yours' or 'sit on this' depending on where you live” (Pease 120). Dolphins have
been shown to have culture (like us)(Marino 970). From this, it is reasonable to assume that there
may be cultural differences between the body language of different groups of dolphins. Another
snag that we would hit if we were to use a nonverbal basis for communication is that the
differences between dolphin and human body language are far too great. Even if we were to
somehow thoroughly decipher dolphin body language, it would likely be extremely tedious and
difficult for both species to keep track of and interpret the body language of the other. Perhaps
the most significant detraction from using body language as a basis for communication is the fact
that body language is simply unable to express abstract concepts in the way that only the human
language has ever been proven to do.
This brings up the question: “Do dolphins have a vocal language, similar to human
language?” Scientists currently believe that the answer to that questions is no (“Do dolphins have
a language?”). It has been shown that dolphins communicate more vocally than with their body
(“Do dolphins have a language?”). Their vocalizations consist mainly of chirps and whistles,
which scientists call “frequency modulated sounds” (i.e. the pitch of the sound changes with
time)(“How do dolphins communicate?”). Scientists say that there has been little conclusive
evidence that dolphins' vocalizations are actually part of a language (“Do dolphins have a
language?”). Regardless, it is possible that dolphins do, indeed, use complex language capable of
referring to abstract concepts as the human languages (“Do dolphins have a language?”). Some
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important evidence that dolphins may have a language stems from the fact that they give
themselves names (Owen). A study headed by Vincent Janik (of the Sea Mammal Research Unit
at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland) set out to confirm the previously hypothetical idea
that dolphins have “signature whistles” which function as names (Owen). To do this, Janik's
team recorded the whistles, isolated them, and then electronically synthesized them (Owen).
They did the last step so that the dolphins would be unable to recognize the voice instead of the
structure of the whistle (Owen). They then played the whistles to the dolphins through
underwater loudspeakers and subsequently found that “the listening dolphins responded strongly
to recordings of the names of their relatives and close group members but largely ignored those
of other dolphins” (Owen). This result essentially confirms the notion that dolphins have
signature whistles. The fact that dolphins have names – an integral part of modern human
language – shows that they may have their own language after all.
While it is still up in the air about whether or not dolphins have a “language” as defined
by humans, they have been taught and are capable of understanding human sign language. They
can understand around 90 different signed commands and are even able to grasp different
meanings based on the order of the commands (The Cove). For example, “the gestural sequence
Surfboard Person Fetch means, 'take the person to the surfboard,' whereas the sequence Person
Surfboard Fetch means the opposite, – 'take the surfboard to the person'” ("Herman's Dolphin
Prodigies"). Dolphins have shown no trouble in understanding the difference between the two.
An experiment shown in an episode of the BBC documentary “Wildlife on One” tests the
ability of the dolphins to understand commands given to them in sign language. The dolphin is
put in a pool with two objects, a pipe and a basket. On the side of the pool there is a white paddle
and a black paddle. The dolphin is then asked questions in which she answers “yes” or “no.” The
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two questions shown were true or false questions such as “is there a pipe in the pool?” The
dolphin got the correct answer on each attempt. The scientists doing the experiment then gave
the dolphin a “trick” command. They asked the dolphin to “ take the hoop to the basket.” There
was no hoop in the pool, so the scientists simply expected the dolphin to just press the “no”
paddle. Instead, the dolphin grabbed the basket and pressed the “no” paddle while still holding
the basket in her mouth. The scientists were surprised by this unexpected, innovative solution to
this problem (“Dolphins: Deep Thinkers”).
This experiment demonstrates that dolphins do not blindly follow a trainer's commands
like a dog would. It shows that they are capable of, and do understand, these commands in
addition to acting on them. Since it has been shown that dolphins are capable of understanding
sign language, why is it not a viable method of communication with dolphins? The answer is
simply this: humans use their hands to sign, yet dolphins only have flippers and therefore cannot
sign back (The Cove). If anything, the fact that dolphins can learn sign language proves that they
are capable of learning and understanding a human language.
We have not, however, exhausted our possible methods of communicating with dolphins.
While vocal communication between our two species appears impossible due to the vast
differences between the sounds of human vocalizations and dolphin vocalizations, there isa
language which produces sounds vaguely similar those dolphins make. That language is spoken
on the Island of La Gomera in the Canary Archipelago and is known as the Silbo Gomero
("Whistled Language"). The Silbo Gomero is a little known language in which communication is
done through whistling ("Whistled Language"). It is used mainly to communicate across great
distances, namely the ravines present on the island ("Whistled Language"). The Silbo Gomero
essentially “reproduces the Spanish language in all its aspects” ("Whistled Language"). It is
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comprised of two vowels and four consonants “to express all that can be said” ("Whistled
Language"). This language is not a code but rather a well defined language with its own distinct
rules ("Whistled Language"). It can even be adapted to other languages apart from Spanish
("Whistled Language"). It can bee seen to parallel dolphin “speech” in both the whistling as well
as its ability to be used to communicate across great distances. I believe that by exposing
dolphins to a form of communication with which they are somewhat familiar, they could very
well learn the language and make interspecies communication possible.
Methodology
Before I divulge the details of my experiment, I would like to state that it is unlikely that
the idea of using a whistled language to communicate with dolphins is my own unique idea.
However, the methods I will be using will be unique and, to my knowledge, nobody has ever
performed the type of study I am proposing.
The study comes in two parts. The first part will be dedicated to trying to get dolphins to
teach humans their own language, if such a language exists. I will have parents volunteer
themselves and their young children to be in regular contact with the dolphins. The child will
also have to be exposed daily to the Silbo Gomero so it is used to hearing meaningful concepts
being communicated through whistling. You might ask, “why would we need to use young
children to communicate with the dolphins?” This is because recent studies have shown that
young children are “linguistic geniuses” in comparison to adults when it comes to language
acquisition (Kuhl). They essentially “take statistics” on whatever language is “put in front of
them” (Kuhl). Our hope is that these children will be able to “take statistics” on the dolphin
language (assuming one exists) which could give them, and eventually us, a rudimentary
Weckler 9
understanding on the dolphin language. They could then use their skill at whistling to “speak”
the dolphin language. We hope that this part of the experiment will get the dolphins to “teach”
humans their own language. The second (and main part) of the experiment will involve humans
teaching dolphins the Silbo Gomero. Unlike the first part of the experiment, this part will be
done with two groups, one consisting of only adult dolphins, and another consisting of adults and
children mixed. Our hypothesis is that, like human babies, the baby dolphins will be much more
receptive to acquiring a new language and will therefore be more likely to successfully learn the
Silbo Gomero. The teaching methods we will use will be similar to those used to teach dolphins
sign language. This is a very ambitious, long term, and expensive endeavor for which we will
require outside funds to complete.
Significance/Conclusion
Whether or not this experiment is successful, it will provide us with valuable data and
observations on the way that dolphins communicate. Should the experiment be a total success,
we will have successfully produced bilingual, Spanish speaking dolphins.The response to this
would be overwhelming. Since a conversation with a dolphin would be undeniable proof of
intelligence, various moral and ethical debates surrounding dolphins could immediately be
solved. Right now we can only imagine what a conversation with a dolphin would be like. I
imagine it would be similar to a first conversation with an alien race, one that had been watching
us, waiting for the time when we would be ready to communicate with them. Regardless of what
the dolphins may say or what the conversation will be like, being able to talk to another
intelligent species is of immense historical significance. By choosing to fund our research, you
could be contributing to what could possibly be one of the greatest discoveries humankind has
ever made. It will not exactly be a “first contact” but it will come very close.
Works Cited
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