Doctor Dolittle's Delusion: Animals and the Uniqueness of Human Language

Hugh Lofting's storybooks about a British doctor who could speak to animals have been classics almost since they first appeared in 1920. Anderson, a linguistics and cognitive psychology professor at Yale, doesn't dispute the literary merits of Lofting's work, but he does want to establish that Doctor Dolittle's talent is all fiction. Anderson makes a careful argument to defend this conclusion, methodically examining what we actually know about animal communication and simultaneously building up a case for what makes human language unique. He revisits the usual discussions about animals' abilities, from the intricate ""dance"" of honeybees to the warning calls of vervet monkeys and the sign language learned by lab chimpanzees. His lengthy chapter on syntax is fairly technical and may be difficult for lay readers to navigate, but Anderson does his best to make this arcane subject intelligible because it forms the crux of his book: he identifies syntax as ""the essence of language,"" the primary barrier that animals can't surmount. In reviewing previous claims that animals have language, he insists on the distinction between language and communication--sometimes a fine difference that appears to necessitate lengthy, confusing explanations that incorporate physics, biology and language theory. Despite its use of enlightening examples and fascinating details of animal behavior, this book is best suited for students of psychology and linguistics. But anyone interested enough in the subject to work through it will find a skillfully made case that even devoted animal admirers might find hard to dismiss.