There is a difference between communicative utterances and intentional communication. The hen in the video embedded below announced she had just laid an egg. But did she mean to tell me that? Or was this an instinctive cry that she was unable to silence?
Who benefits from this announcement: the chicken or the person who wants to cook the egg for a meal? Why do chickens have an urge to announce their egg laying accomplishment? Why are wild birds mostly silent about laying their eggs?
As a linguist, I am interested in both intentional and unintentional communication. All beings, including humans, have instinctive cries that they have difficulty turning off, to signal pain, fright, pleasure and delight. These are “tells” that others can use to figure out what is happening to us, even when we do not want them to know.
Bow, a common chimpanzee I cross-fostered with my own child, has language. He spells out what he wants to say. But Bow also often lies. He sends false messages for us to interpret.
Language is different from body language and inarticulate cries, because it is intentional. However, neurotypical people have a tendency to subvert all communication by feigning emotional states they do not possess in order to mislead others. For this, you need theory of mind. Apes of all kinds have the tendency to lie. But chickens usually are truthful. If they signal they have just laid an egg, there usually is an egg right there!
