From semantics to pragmatics

an overview of the question ofanimal ‘meaning’

Abstract

Do animal signals have meaning? Animal communication studies have been trying to answer this question for the last four decades. This paper reconstructs the debate on animal signals’ meaning focusing on the shift from a semantic to a pragmatic approach, and analysing it on both empirical and theoretical grounds. The aim of this reconstruction will be to highlight the potential of the pragmatic perspective and the challenges that our understanding of animal signals’ meaning still poses for future research.