I got the article from Discovery News.This year, enormous strides have been made in understanding non-human animal vocalizations. But will we ever be able to hold meaningful conversations with another species, such that both sides understand each other?
Consider what we've learned about dolphins recently. Research a few months ago determined that dolphins talk like humans in terms of the physical process. Previously it was thought that many dolphin calls were just simple whistles, but the study found the sounds are produced by tissue vibrations analogous to the operation of vocal folds by humans.
Acoustics engineer John Stuart Reid and Jack Kassewitz of the organization Speak Dolphin have created an instrument known as the CymaScope that reveals detailed structures within sounds, allowing their architecture to be studied pictorially.
Similar to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs, the researchers may then be able to figure out the meaning of dolphin calls. In addition to the whistle-like sounds, dolphins produce chirps and click trains, suggesting they engage in very complex and sophisticated social interactions.
"There is strong evidence that dolphins are able to 'see' with sound, much like humans use ultrasound to see an unborn child in the mother's womb," Kassewitz told Discovery News. "The CymaScope provides our first glimpse into what the dolphins might be 'seeing' with their sounds."
We might have to use special equipment to reproduce such sounds, but if that's possible and the sounds are deciphered, meaningful communication with dolphins could be a reality.
I don't think we will be able to have actual conversations with dolphins. I'm not sure all dolphins speak the same click "language," so things could get confusing. What do you people think?
