Green | December 31, 2008 | 23 comments

Dolphin language and a possible rosetta stone

source: http://www.alphagalileo.org/index.cfm?_rss=1&fuseaction=readrelease&releaseid=534993

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daveguy
"Certain sounds made by dolphins have long been suspected to represent language but the complexity of the sounds has made their analysis difficult. Previous techniques, using the spectrograph, display cetacean (dolphins, whales and porpoises) sounds only as graphs of frequency and amplitude. The CymaScope captures actual sound vibrations imprinted in the dolphin's natural environment-water, revealing the intricate visual details of dolphin sounds for the first time.

... dolphin sounds fall into three broad categories, signature whistles, chirps and click trains. There is general agreement among cetacean biologists that signature whistles represent the means by which individual dolphins identify themselves while click trains are involved in echolocation. Chirps are thought to represent components of language.

Click trains have the most complex structures of all, featuring a combination of tightly packed concentric bands on the periphery with unique central features."
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23 comments // Dolphin language and a possible rosetta stone

  • arcticspirit
    • 0
      arcticspirit  
    • Image

    • This is so exciting. We have learned so much about dolphins in the wild now that the scientific community has understood the importance of research done about dolphins and whales. This opens new doors that it's hard to imagine what we will find.

      The CymaScope captures actual sound vibrations imprinted in the dolphin's natural environment-water, revealing the intricate visual details of dolphin sounds for the first time.

      Dolphins use a variety of behaviors to associate with one another. Some of these behaviors, such as gentle rubbing or close swimming, indicate close bonds and relationships. Other behaviors, such as loud jaw pops, biting, and chasing, indicate aggression. All of these behaviors are typical of social animals. Gaining a better understanding of these behaviors allows researchers to develop a clearer perspective on dolphin relationships.

      It's very exciting. I still can't get over the imagery from sounds.

    • 4 years ago
  • clayjj05
  • omshaantih
  • Tomcatt
    • 0
      Tomcatt  

    • Good. It's about time that we try to learn how to communicate with them. Next to us, they are the next smartest mammal on the planet.

    • 4 years ago
  • RCS
    • 0
      RCS  

    • BDiamond,

      Thanks for posting the videoclip to "So long, and thanks for all the fish." That was the very first thing that I thought of when I saw this orginal post.

      By the way, if you haven't seen the orginal BBC TV version of "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," it's well worth checking out. It is much better than the later movie version, especially in the portrayal of Marvin the Depressed Robot.

    • 4 years ago
  • Tomcatt
  • damnneargenius
  • damnneargenius
  • cantucwearebrothers
  • BDiamond
  • cerealforeal
  • maisry
    • 0
      maisry  

    • I am fascinated by interspecies communication. Dolphins already understand us; how wonderful if we could understand them!

    • 4 years ago
  • aswift1
  • unimatrix0
    • 0
      unimatrix0  

    • I wonder what they discuss with one another. No doubt they communicate about food sources and other practical concerns. But I wonder if they discuss existential issues such as the purpose and meaning of life.

      Humans often seem tortured by such issues (e.g. religion). I wonder if dolphins feel the same sort of pressure.

    • 4 years ago
  • superfinet
    • 0
      superfinet  
    • unimatrix0:

      those human pressures are brought on by the burden of material life.... our culture is responsible for the mental strife we suffer as a result of deeply seeded existential issues. If Cetaceans do indeed have conversations on that magnitude, then it wouldn't be surprising, but would beg the question - what do dolphins have to worry about aside from US? Maybe they are smart enough to not get caught up in the rat-race humanics has created!

    • 4 years ago
  • unimatrix0
  • Sam_the_Wizer
  • tbowman131
  • ALLNATURALVEGANS
  • daveguy
    • 0
      daveguy  
    • ALLNATURALVEGANS:

      Agreed. It's pretty clear that we can communicate with dogs and horses and some other domesticated animals...

      it seems fairly anthropomorphic to assume that animals wouldn't want to communicate with us or with themselves.

    • 4 years ago
  • aquamammal
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