Editing Symbolic communication (section)

== Animal societies ==
{{See also|Animal communication|Great ape language}}
Communication in animals is usually not symbolic, and the arbitrariness of signs is typically considered the distinguishing factor between [[human]] and animal communication.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Beckers|first1=Gabriel J.L.|last2=Bolhuis|first2=Johan J.|date=2000-11-01|title=The Design of Animal Communication|journal=Animal Behaviour|volume=60|issue=5|pages=703–704|doi=10.1006/anbe.2000.1532|s2cid=53187797|issn=0003-3472}}</ref> However, research into [[great ape]] language has involved teaching [[chimpanzee]]s, [[gorilla]]s and [[orangutan]]s to communicate with human beings and with each other using [[sign language]], physical tokens, and lexigrams ([[Yerkish]]), which contain some elements of arbitrariness. Some also argue that certain animals are capable of symbolic name usage.