Great Speaking Cephalopods! Squid Language?

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

Last night, I saw a show on cephalopods, and a fair bit of the episode was dedicated to the work of a comparitive psychology professor from the University of Lethbridge; her research is into whether squids, specifically Carribean Reef Squids, use language.

Her hypothesis is that the way they change their skin patterns and colours to signal each other actually constitutes a real language with syntax.

While I track down more about the professor's own research, you can read some general information about the species here.  An excerpt from the page:

There are many interesting aspects in the life of the squid species Sepioteuthis sepioidea, many of which deserve, but have not yet received, adequate research. It has been suggested that the Caribbean Reef Squid has its own 'language,' with visual signals constituting a vocabulary and syntax (Moynihan and Rodaniche, 1982). This suggestion exvokes many responses in the scientific community and poses such questions as, "do signals provoke different responses?"(Hanlon and Messenger, 1996), "are combinations of patterns designed for particular reasons?" and "can individuals 'converse' with one another?" (Moynihan and Rodaniche, 1982). Answers to such questions may lead to important revelations in squid society and behavior. Though limited knowledge is known on the various forms of visual signaling, much more research needs to be done to show the wide-ranging implications it can have. Perhaps the one answering these questions could be you!

Edit:

Professor Mather's web page doesn't have a whole lot of information (and unfortunately, no research papers or the like), but I believe this article was written by the cameraman who shot the underwater footage in the show:

The colourful and intricate patterns displayed by Caribbean reef squid seem to convey a wide range of meanings, including sexual interest and readiness, aggression, dominance and submission. There is even speculation that these squid can "lie" in order to deceive an adversary. Jennifer and her team eventually hope to learn the complexities of squid "language," believed to be the most sophisticated communication system employed by any marine creature.

According to the show, if it turns out that these squid communications do consitute a language, they will be the first non-primate species to have demonstrated this ability.  I think this is all sorts of cool.

[Alpaca]

What does constitute a language?

For instance, I know that birds can communicate to some extent through song, even having a "language" gene. [Citation].

Does this communication constitute a language?

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

What does constitute a language?

I'm not sure of an exact definition.

I know that things like bird song and a dog bringing its leash over to its owner, and (to some researchers) gorilla sign language, although communicative, aren't generally considered "language" per se.  From what I can gather in a quick web gleaning, it seems that syntax is considered the requirement for something to be language.

What would constitute "syntax" in squids flashing and striping at each other, I'm not really sure.

[Griffin NoName]

The colourful and intricate patterns displayed by Caribbean reef squid seem to convey a wide range of meanings, including sexual interest and readiness, aggression, dominance and submission.

I don't understand how this is different to mating rituals etc in other creatures.

Is football hooliganism a language ?

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

I don't understand how this is different to mating rituals etc in other creatures.

The article doesn't really do justice to the visual images in the show... and according to the researchers, there's quite a bit of nuance that they're still trying to figure out.

[Swatopluk]

And one could argue that some languages don't have an actual syntax/grammar and work purely with denominators.
Do bees have a language because they can transfer abstract information?

Nonetheless, cephalopods are clearly high on the list of candidates to either possess the ability or having the potential to develop it.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Still, not only primates were suspect of a nuanced language. Cetaceans, elephants and psitacids (parrots, parakeets) seem to be able to communicate in no trivial ways also. The fact that we haven't been able to decode them yet doesn't mean that we are the only ones. 

[Alpaca]

Is football hooliganism a language ?

Depends on your definition of language. They are able to communicate abstract information through means we don't understand. Like setting trains on fire. (Happened when I was in Holland. THAT screwed up our transport plan to Amsterdam.)

[anthrobabe]

I slept through linguistic anthropology class- sorry

my definiton of language is
as system of symbols (for us sounds, making letters, making words, to phrases, etc) that is mutually intelligible to all members of the "community"-- so this could be a language

but abstract ideas-- not sure of that-- but I agree the potential is very much there- escaping octopi and such.

how does one perform the "mark test" on a squid? Probably very much like on a dolphin

some interesting things about apes and sign language- what it really serves to show is the ability they have for abstract thinking
just do a search on Kanzi to see some astounding stuff about our closest relatives and cognition and abstract thinking.
an example
a dog will bring a leash to a person-- but any leash and one that is in view of the dog

an ape can understand" go outside and bring me the blue ball." Once Kanzi was asked, "kanzi, go outside and bring me the blue ball." Kanzi not only went out of the room into a room that he could not see into to get the blue ball he passed a red ball and ignored it(even though he loves his red ball) to go and get and bring back the blue one. That is toddler human stuff and very amazing.


sorry-- I don't know everything, I just enjoy talking about apes!

football hooliganism is not only a language- to many it is foreplay 

[Swatopluk]

The ability to transfer info about something that is not present seems to me an essential part of language (and of cognitive ability)

[Sibling Chatty]

a dog will bring a leash to a person-- but any leash and one that is in view of the dog

Spencer will leave the room to get HIS leash, not Baby's, even though Baby's has been closer than his when he's been sent.

He can also differentiate between his two toy sheep. The small original one is "Crivens" and the other one is either "big Crivens" or "blue Crivens". You can tell him which to get, even if they're in two different parts of the house, and he'll bring back the right one.

Of course, this is the dog that will hide or sit on one of my shoes if I look to be dressing to leave the house when he doesn't want to be left alone.

[goat starer]

i rather suspect that annimals have far more developed language than we imagine. We like to put humans on a pedestal (a rather dilapidated one since we discovered we are not the centre of the solar system let alone the universe) and in years to come I think we will be shown to have underestimated the communication abilities of animals....

I am reminded of a far side cartoon with a dolphin leaning over the side of a tank and two scientists with a whiteboard on which is written....

aw-blah-es-pan-yol
bwun-os-dee-as
ol-a-mee-am-ee-gos

and one scientist is saying to the other. "Its no good its just making one of those 'aw-blah-es-pan-yol' noises again.

[Swatopluk]

The Far Side had a lot of insights