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Context-dependence in Human and Animal Communication

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Abstract

The aim of this paper is to show that humanlanguage is context-dependent in a veryspecific way. In order to support this thesis,a detailed comparison is made between the waysin which verbal expressions depend on thecontext of occurrence and evaluation and animalcommunication systems. The comparisonhighlights a series of analogies anddifferences between human language and thecommunication systems of other animals. Myproposal is to use the term `indexicality' toindicate the characteristic way of using thecontext in human language and to use the moregeneral phrase `context-dependence' for thecorresponding phenomenon in animalcommunication systems.

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  1. Dipartimento di Scienze cognitive, Università di Messine, Via Concezione 6–8, Messine, Italia, E-mail

    Pietro Perconti

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Perconti, P. Context-dependence in Human and Animal Communication. Foundations of Science 7, 341–362 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1019613210814

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