Do Cats Have Language?
Animals bark, sing, purr, and even gesture—all fascinating but a far cry from human communication.

Listen longer
Slate Plus members get ad-free versions of all Slate podcasts, plus extra segments, bonus episodes, and more. Try it free today.
Advertisement
Episode Notes
Dogs can be taught to distinguish between hundreds of basic words—which comes in handy if you need someone to fetch the blue, round object. Gorillas, meanwhile, can learn a vocabulary of hand signs. But those examples, says John McWhorter, should not be taken as evidence that animals have a capacity for language.
Podcast production by Mike Vuolo.