Combined calls in primates and birds

Numerous animal species combine calls into larger structures. Recently, a line of research emerged, which relies on interdisciplinary collaborations between linguists and biologists to characterize such animal systems precisely. The goal is (i) to better understand how these systems work and (ii) to assess whether they display any rudimentary parallels with language. I will present two sets of studies investigating the combined calls of a primate (the Diana monkey) and a bird (the Japanese tit) and summarise some of the most recent advances in the field of animal linguistics.