Emoji: The Future Of Language?

Some linguists have argued for several decades that while communication between animals is clearly evident, language is unique to humans. Is that really the case though?

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Previous Episode:


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Sources:

Animal Communication and Language:

Brain and Intelligence in Vertebraes:

Kentucky Law Could Let Kids Swap Foreign Language Classes For Coding Lessons:

Why Language Isn’t Computer Code:

Emoticons in Mind: An Event-Related Potential Study:

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TestTube Plus is built for enthusiastic science fans seeking out comprehensive conversations on the geeky topics they love. Host Trace Dominguez digs beyond the usual scope to deliver details, developments and opinions on advanced topics like AI, string theory and Mars exploration. TestTube Plus is also offered as an audio podcast on iTunes.

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[talideon]

Programming languages aren't languages not because they aren't means of communication, but because they're more properly described as logical notations.

[davidmendoza]

Yeah, emojis are super cool. One of the biggest problems that people have with txting is that they can never tell someone's tone. Emojis kind of subversively throw that tone onto the message and with some of the newer ones or when you use combinations there is room for a lot of nuance to be slipped in. I'm excited to see where it goes

[BineroBE]

If you miss a single punctuation mark in English it is wrong too. People still understands what it means though. When you miss the famous semicolon in a programming language, people would still be able to understand what you meant.

It's not a problem with the language, but with who understands it. Heck these days a compiler and parser will tell you if and where you miss something, and how to fix it.

[donaldey]

FORTRAN fulfilled my foreign language requirement in college.

[SafetySheepRnD]

I would argue that programming is akin to removing the artistic aspect of the human experience and quantifying it with logic and maths and then turning that into an art form. For example, you can describe the universe in language, but you can also describe the universe in maths like physicists do and you can then take that physicist's model and turn that into code or instructions to reproduce his work in a simulation. You can argue that programming isn't like language because there's no artistic license in an instruction set, but I would argue that the application of logic allows artistic license because every problem has multiple solutions, some more clever than others.

[Unalochy]

you didn't tell us what the subject is to this next series XD such a cliffhanger! This is my favorite way to start the day!

[andrewvega]

in Texas computer sciences ( learning java script) is already a foreign language. also you could set the computer to understand metaphors etc.

[thenormann]

Do you remember when in previous videos you talk about the word love and that in English it has many usings, but that in Arabic those usings could be divided in a lot of different words? In Spanish we do the difrence between a programming language and a human language (while one is "lenguaje de programación" the other is (lengua humana) we make the difrence between those, English should use tongue and language to make the difference.

[MARILAND]

The part about animals not having language is dead wrong.
You even mention that apes (chimps, gorillas) can learn sign language. That's a language, it's even in the name. Chimps are anatomically incapable of voicing words, but the same goes for mute people. Would you say they do not have language, just because they use gestures instead of sounds? I woudn't. Chimps even demonstrated abstract use of language, like referring to the past and the future.
There also was a parrot named Alex who could talk at the level of an average five year old human child. He didn't just mindlessly repeat sounds like normal parrots, he expressed wishes and emotions, could answer simple questions and also made statements about the past and future.

[alexkantor]

has anyone seen some of the emoticons in that old "navigating the internet" book? Thing like "user is Santa" or "user is the pope"

[bkmakesmusic]

It's awesome that you made this video in the last week because the other day I was just asking myself "when did emoticon become Emoji, and why are there two different words?

[flameshadow]

aww Trace, I love the wisps in your meat locker x3

I am not surprised people treat emoji like real faces-- I always thought people who used excessive emoji seemed childish, but then I noticed they're the people I have the most positive interactions with. Now I end almost every paragraph I write with emoji ;-P

[wratched]

How did we go from Sumerian and Egyptian ideograms to the alphabet and now back to emojis? It takes Chinese kids four years to learn to write; I don't intend to spend four years learning emojis.

[GeoffLewis]

I really liked the computer language part.. it was interesting and a fresh take on it that I've not heard for a while.

[dzarko]

Is Noam Chomsky a linguist too? I would've never have guessed.

[InMaTeofDeath]

Highdea of the day:  I wish I could see whichever species managed to evolve the best/most advanced intelligence of life any life form in the universe.

[DrakeFellwing]

I think it's more about numbers when you're talking about animals and language... The main difference is in the ocean it would be easier to think of sound producing mammals dolphins seals the like, they may have languages because they will interact with many different populations at a time. Maybe not between species but within a species there's no reason for there not to be.
But also the majority of the language now possesses abstract constructs which for a long time humans didn't have. It took education to learn about things that were not 'real world' and that inflated the languages quite a bit, but for basic terms and actions those could easily be used in the variety of sounds and actions available to the rest of the animal kingdom.

[yashnanda]

The end was so well written... i felt it :)

[elakkanin]

Thank you Trace I love this channel and this series, keep it up! :)

[rev_lunar]

lol, at 3:17 I pictured him on a ladder and accidentally dropping a hammer on someone who was laying down for some reason.