Boffins: Dolphins call each other NAMES. Not RUDE ones!

Or Not

Not in 2006, not in 2013:

http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=5453

Christening?

I wonder (who gives them | how they adopt) their name?

Presumably when they are first born they tend to make random vocalisations like any kid.

At some point, their friends or family (probably their mother), and they, must 'agree' on some sequence that becomes their 'name'.

One can speculate 3 possibilities:

1) Over time, they begin to repeat one of their random sequences -- perhaps because it is pleasing to them; or because mother seems to respond to it? -- and thus they effectively name themselves.

But if baby starts copying (and appears to be choosing) one of the sequences already used by another member of the pod; maybe that other member admonishes the baby.

2) Mother constantly repeats a sequence she chooses -- perhaps whilst permitting the baby to suckle -- and so the baby come to recognise that sequence as being him/her and starts responding to it by repeating it. Thus mother chooses the name.

Mother would know the names of the rest of the pod and so could chose (or choose to reinforce) a sequence not (currently) in use.

3) Some combination of the two where either the mother starts repeating (and perhaps extending) one of the babies random sequences; or the baby starts repeating (and perhaps extending) one of the mother's sequences.

It would be interesting to learn if:

a) names get reused within a pod -- mother's mother or father's father etc.

b) if the same names turn up in different pods.

"The first case of naming in mammals"?!

What the hell do they think humans have been doing all these years?

Huh?

'Oy! Whistle-squeak-whistle! Get your ass over here'

Dolphins have asses? Or was that just a fluke?

Yes, yes. But what about lasers mounted to their heads?

Doing better than Bill and Katie

At the time of posting this they've still not managed to find a name for their sprog.

Media hype of very inconclusive science

The media had a field day on this yesterday, falling over themselves in amazement that scientists had discovered that dolphins "call each other by name" and even engage in "conversation."

No surprise there, of course, and I'm sure the scientists loved the attention. It's a great story. But it really helps to read what the boffins actually wrote.

Contrary to what the article on this site asserts, King and Janik did not follow "groups of wild dolphins and record them whistling each others' names." Rather, using a not entirely reliable signature whistle identification method (SIGID), they recorded the signature whistles of individual bottlenose dolphins, and then played those whistles or control whistles of unfamiliar animals back to the dolphins to see what response they would get.

The authors confess that they " were unable to identify which animal in the group replied to the playback," partly due to the limitations of their technology. In just two cases a dolphin in the pod gave an unambiguous "echo" answer, but they weren't to know whether the dolphins that did this were calling their own names or those of others. However, they say the latter possibility is unlikely since it is very rare for dolphins to copy the signature whistles of others. They add that "the fact that a signature whistle is primarily used by the whistle owner allows it to serve as a label for that particular individual when copied."

If all that dolphins generally do is announce their presence to others and recognize the calls of others we must allow that they communicate (but we knew that already). Dolphins have a limited repertoire of nonsignature calls. Thus any claim that dolphins have conversations, even to the extent of calling each other by name, is counterintuitive, to say the least. If they do indeed call each other that fact alone should have kick started a great deal more language.