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Xenolinguistics[1] brings together biologists, anthropologists, linguists, and other experts specializing in language and communication to explore what non-human, non-Earthbound language might look like. The 18 chapters examine what is known about human language and animal communication systems to provide reasonable hypotheses about what we may find if we encounter non-Earth intelligence.
Showcasing an interdisciplinary dialogue between a set of highly established scholars, this volume:
- Clarifies what is and is not known about human language and animal communication systems
- Presents speculative arguments as a philosophical exercise to help define the boundaries of what our current science can tell us about non-speculative areas of investigation
- Provides readers with a clearer sense of how our knowledge about language is better informed through a cross-disciplinary investigation
- Offers a better understanding of future avenues of research on language
This rich interdisciplinary collection, with chapter authors including Noam Chomsky, Derek Ball, Denise Herzing, and Irene Pepperberg, will be of interest to researchers and students studying non-human communication, astrobiology, and language invention.
NOTES
[1] "The term “xenolinguistics” is derived from two words: xeno, meaning foreign or alien, and linguistics, the scientific study of language. It gained prominence in science fiction literature and media, where it was used to describe the study and interpretation of alien languages. The concept has gradually evolved from its fictional origins into a more serious academic inquiry, reflecting humanity’s growing interest in extraterrestrial life and interstellar communication." [What is xenolinguistis?]
About the editors
- Douglas A. Vakoch is Director of METI (Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence), a nonprofit research and educational organization dedicated to transmitting intentional signals to nearby stars. He is the editor of more than a dozen books, including Ecofeminist Science Fiction: International Perspectives on Gender, Ecology, and Literature (2021) and The Routledge Handbook of Ecofeminism and Literature (2022).
- Jeffrey Punske is Associate Professor and the director of undergraduate studies in linguistics at Southern Illinois University (USA). He is the editor of Language Invention and Linguistics Pedagogy (2020).
List of Contributors
1. Goals of the volume
Jeffrey Punske
2. Many Ways to Say Things: What the Diversity of Animal Communication on Earth Can Tell Us About the Likely Nature of Alien Language
Arik Kershenbaum
3. Recognizing Intentional Signals and Their Meaning in Non-Human Communication
Catherine Hobaiter, Adriano R. Lameira, Derek Ball
Denise Herzing
5. Communicative Resources Beyond the Verbal Tier: A View on Xenolinguistics from Interactional Linguistics
Heike Ortner
6. How Studies of Communication among Nonhumans and between Humans and Nonhumans Can Inform SETI
Irene M. Pepperberg
7. Patterns of Communication of Human Complex Societies as a Blueprint for Alien Communication
Anamaria Berea
Sumayya K.R. Granger, Judd Ethan Ruggill, and Ken S. McAllister
9. Why Do We Assume That We Can Decode Alien Languages?
Con Slobodchikoff
Claire Bowern
11. Investigating the foundations of meaning in a xenolanguage
Andrew McKenzie
Daniel Ross
13. Cognition, Sensory Input, and Linguistics : A Possible Language for Blind Aliens
Sheri Wells-Jensen
14. The Design Features of Extraterrestrial Language: A Domain-General Approach
Darcy Sperlich
Ian Roberts, Jeffrey Watumull, Noam Chomsky
16. Where Does Universal Grammar Fit in the Universe? Human Cognition and the Strong Minimalist Thesis
Bridget D. Samuel and Jeffrey Punske
17. Learning and adaptation of communication systems in biological life forms
Jessie S. Nixon and Fabian Tomaschek
Daniel Harbour
Index
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