In her article 'Minds of Their Own' published in 2008 in the National Geographic Magazine, Virginia Morell discusses animals' ability to acquire language skills. By bringing the examples of Alex the Parrot, dolphins, primates and even crows, Morell dispels the age-old myth that animals cannot learn human language. While her article is compelling and indeed informative, one wonders whether these examples indicate true language acquisition, or otherwise are they merely a reflection of intricate imitative capabilities.
The following essay will attempt to examine the question of non-human language acquisition through discussing the distinction between language and communication, as ...
