I just finished reading a fascinating book: Chasing Dr. Dolittle by Con Slobodchikoff, PhD. He makes a very compelling case that animals have their own languages and can communicate critical information to other members of their species.
The "prevailing wisdom" is that all animal communication is the product of mindless instinct.
For many years it was "prevailing wisdom" that animals couldn't feel pain, make tools, be self-aware, etc. etc. But research moves on . . .
Dr. Slobodchikoff cites research in many species, but I was especially fascinated by the information on prairie dogs. As we know, prairie dogs don't get much respect – they are seen as vermin, whose holes trip up cattle and horses. And yet . . . they have language.
They are safe in their burrows, but have to come up to eat and socialize. And they are very alert to predators – dogs, coyotes, humans, hawks, eagles. When an enemy appears, one or more of the prairie dogs produce alarm calls to warn the rest of the colony.
It's not just a mindless instinctual call of "Watch Out!" There is a different segment of the call ("word") for each predator – human, raptor, coyote or dog. They distinguish between large and small; walking, running or flying; how fast the danger is approaching; and can distinguish among different colors. These constitute a kind of grammar – nouns for the predators; adjectives for size, shape, and color; and verbs and adverbs for how the enemy is traveling.
There is a lot of information in the book on other animals with language – birds, bats, lizards, dolphins, bees, even ants. It's absolutely fascinating, and is written for the layperson. His writing style is casual, but very informative. I urge you to read it.