... may only be able to communicate about a total situation, it is difficult to be certain; as is shown by the calls of the vervet monkey. I am therefore going to consider several examples of non-human animal communications, both vocalisations and other methods, and test them for semanticity. Gibbons are several species of our closest surviving non-human kin. Like humans, they communicate in various ways, including posturing and gesturing, but the most language-like of their communication is their system of calls. Investigations of the gibbons of northern Thailand have shown that these gibbons have a stock of at least nine different calls. One of these is emitted typically when the group is surprised by a possible enemy and takes the form of a high pitched shout; it is often repeated by those who hear it and all act accordingly in order to avoid the danger of the enemy. An entirely different ...

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