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ABSTRACTCall classifications by human observers are often subjective yet they are critical to studies of animal communication, because only the categories that are relevant for the animals themselves actually make sense in terms of correlation to the context. In this paper we test whether independent observers can correctly detect differences and similarities in killer whale repertoires. We used repertoires with different a priorilevels of similarity: from different ecotypes, from different oceans, from different populations within the same ocean, and from different local subpopulations of the same population. Calls from nine killer whale populations/subpopulations were pooled into a joint sample set, and eight independent observers were asked to classify the calls into separate categories. None of the observers’ classifications strongly followed the known phylogeny of the analyzed repertoires. However, some phylogenetic relationships were reflected in the classifications substantially better than others. Most observers correctly separated the calls from two North Pacific ecotypes. Call classifications averaged across multiple observers reflected the known repertoire phylogenies better than individual classifications, and revealed the similarity of repertoires at the level of subpopulations within the same population, or closely related populations.

Word cloud generating applications were originally designed to add visual attractiveness to posters, websites, slide show presentations, and the like. They can also be an effective tool in reading and writing classes in English as a second language (ESL) for all levels of English proficiency. They can reduce reading time and help to improve writing skills and vocabulary comprehension. They can also be used to address elements of rhetoric in students’ essays and instructors’ assignment descriptions and syllabi. Word clouds can be used as a visual aid to present new vocabulary and a study tool for quizzes. Most applications work with printed and online texts and students’ authentic writing. They find corpus vocabulary in texts and use it to create word clouds. Knowing key words helps students understand and summarize the texts they read. When students determine which words they use most often in their writing, they are advised to learn the spelling and collocations of those words, find synonyms to avoid repetition, and use word maps to create a particular tone of voice to sound (for example) humorous or sad. This article introduces word cloud generators, which are free, user‐friendly online tools that can be easily incorporated into ESLclassroom activities to enhance student learning experience.

Abstract: Facial and vocal expressions of emotion have been found in a number of social mammal species and are thought to have evolved to aid social communication. There has been much debate about whether such signals are culturally inherited or are truly biologically innate. Evidence for the innateness of such signals can come from cross-cultural studies. Previous studies have identified a vocalisation (the V4 or ‘excitement’ call) associated with high arousal behaviours in a population of killer whales in British Columbia, Canada. In this study, we compared recordings from three different socially and reproductively isolated ecotypes of killer whales, including five vocal clans of one ecotype, each clan having discrete culturally transmitted vocal traditions. The V4 call was found in recordings of each ecotype and each vocal clan. Nine independent observers reproduced our classification of the V4 call from each population with high inter-observer agreement. Our results suggest the V4 call may be universal in Pacific killer whale populations and that transmission of this call is independent of cultural tradition or ecotype. We argue that such universality is more consistent with an innate vocalisation than one acquired through social learning and may be linked to its apparent function of motivational expression.

ABSTRACTHere we present an acoustic approach for reliable sexing in four whistling duck species from the genus Dendrocygnaand compare it with molecular and cloacal inspection techniques. In the four examined species, the White-faced Whistling Duck D. viduata, Fulvous Whistling Duck D. bicolor, Cuban Whistling Duck D. arboreaand Red-billed Whistling Duck D. autumnalis, sexes are indistinguishable by appearance. However all the four species show strong sexual differences in the structure of their species-specific loud whistles. For 59 examined birds, an acoustic-based sexing showed 100% accordance to the DNA PCR analysis, while the cloacal inspection showed only 89.8% accuracy. The results demonstrate that acoustic sexing represents a feasible alternative to the two traditional methods as a noninvasive tool for the distant sexing of the four whistling duck species both in captivity and in the wild.

The article focuses on how native-speaker teacher and non-native-speaker can be beneficial for each other. It states that native-speaker teacher can provide insights related to local culture. It mentions that teachers can teach each other pronunciation. It highlights that educational experience of students can be improved if both native-speaker and non-native -speaker teachers work in collaboration.