How do dolphins communicate and do they have their own language?
Dolphins communicate mainly by means of sounds. These sounds include whistles, but also so-called pulsed sounds, which are often described as squawks, barks, rasps, etc. But they also use breaching (jumping and falling back into the water with a loud splash) and pectoral fin (or flipper) and tail (or fluke) slaps (hitting the flipper or fluke on the water surface). Body posturing and jaw popping also have a role in communication. This list is not exhaustive. As for language, we do not know if they have one. Several studies have demonstrated that dolphins can understand a structured language like ours. This same has been demonstrated for a number of other animals species as well (gorilla, bonobo, California sea lion, parrot). Some studies also indicate that dolphin vocalizations are complex enough to support some form of language. However, to date it has not been demonstrated yet that they indeed use a language for communication among themselves.
Language is defined as a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols, including the rules for combining the components of such sounds and/or symbols. There is a difference between communication and language. All animals can communicate in some form or manner, but only humans are known to have a language which has the following characteristics: communication of thoughts and feelings through a system of arbitrary signals, such as voice sounds, gestures, or written symbols. Dolphins communicate mainly by means of sounds. These sounds include whistles, and also so-called pulsed sounds, which are often described as squawks, barks, rasps, etc. But dolphins also use breaching (jumping and falling back into the water with a loud splash) and pectoral fin (or flipper) and tail (or fluke) slaps (hitting the flipper or fluke on the water surface), as well as body posturing, jaw popping and touch as other means of communication. In regards to language, several stu
