| Talk to the animals?Yes.And what's more, they | | | | and bonobos are as capable of understanding |
| talk to us!If you've ever shared your life | | | | questions and simple sentences as a |
| with animals, you'll know that they | | | | two-and-a-half year old child.KANZIKanzi, a |
| understand most of what you say to them. You | | | | bonobo ape, and his foster mother, Matata, |
| mention that you're going for a walk and the | | | | arrived at the LRC when Kanzi was 6 months of |
| dog is standing at the gate, ready. You say | | | | age. He accompanied his mother during her |
| that you're going visiting and that dogs | | | | daily lexigram training tasks and spent most |
| aren't invited and you find out where the | | | | of his time ignoring them or trying to |
| expression 'hang-dog look' came from -- the | | | | disrupt them in any way he could. Like any |
| ears droop, the head sinks and Pooch drags | | | | youngster, he liked the lights on the |
| himself off to sulk.It's dinner time, you | | | | keyboard and often tried to chase the symbols |
| tell the cat that she's got fish for tea and | | | | as they appeared on the projectors above the |
| you're overwhelmed with affection; you tell | | | | keyboard.When Kanzi was 2 1/2 years old, |
| her that tonight's the night she has a tin of | | | | Matata was sent back to breed and Kanzi was |
| cat food and watch her turn her back and | | | | separated from her for the first time. After |
| ignore you.So, we know that they know what | | | | fretting for her for three days, Kanzi then |
| we're saying, but are we clever enough to | | | | settled and began to play with the keyboard. |
| understand what they are saying to us?A cat | | | | Lab notes record that he, "correctly |
| has a very large vocabulary -- every syllable | | | | employ(ed) nearly all of the 10 lexigrams |
| in miaow can be lengthened, shortened, used | | | | that were on his mother's keyboard at that |
| alone or in combination with one or more of | | | | time. He didn't need to be taught these |
| the others; it can be loud or barely audible; | | | | lexigrams, as he already knew them."Prior to |
| it can be confident, angry, intimate or | | | | the separation, however, Kanzi had given no |
| pitiful, depending on what the cat is trying | | | | evidence that he had even been attending to |
| to tell us.HOW ANIMALS TEACH US TO UNDERSTAND | | | | them, much less that he understood any sort |
| THEIR LANGUAGECats teach us how to understand | | | | of semantic connection between lexigrams and |
| them in much the same way we teach babies to | | | | objects in his world. Even more striking than |
| understand their language. Every human baby | | | | the fact that Kanzi knew the lexigrams, was |
| makes the same pre-speech sounds; the | | | | the fact that he also knew the spoken English |
| gurgles, clucks, hums and bubbles are common | | | | words which the lexigrams represented. He |
| to every society. When we hear a sound that | | | | couldn't speak the words, but when he heard |
| is similar to a word used in our language, we | | | | them, he could locate the lexigram, or |
| repeat it to the baby and then make a great | | | | printed symbol, that corresponded with the |
| fuss when the baby repeats it to us, and so | | | | word."One of the most fascinating aspects of |
| each child learns the language of its own | | | | all this was that Kanzi had learnt to |
| society.When your cat wants to go outside, | | | | understand the lexigrams simply by being |
| she will try a series of different sounds | | | | exposed to their use. From that point, all |
| until you learn to recognise one of them, | | | | reward-based learning was discarded in favour |
| then she will always use that particular | | | | of letting Kanzi learn through |
| sound to tell you she wants to go out. So, a | | | | conversation.He was given plenty of help to |
| short m'ia means "I'd like to go outside;" a | | | | learn with gestures, with pictures, with |
| loud m'ia means "I'd like to go outside NOW;" | | | | video tape and with activities that showed |
| a long miiaoowww means she can't find you; a | | | | the words in action. Most of the |
| pitiful little m'ow means she's cold and | | | | conversations centered around travel, finding |
| she'd like a cuddle.She will patiently teach | | | | food and playing and his vocabulary steadily |
| you her 'words' until she feels confident | | | | increased until today he can use over 200 |
| that you can meet all her needs. (The poster | | | | words and can understand more than 500.SIGN |
| that states "dogs have masters; cats have | | | | LANGUAGEAfter observing how chimpanzees |
| staff" has a great deal of truth in it!)BODY | | | | communicated in the wild using signals, |
| LANGUAGEAnimals use body language and | | | | psychologists, Beatrice and Robert Gardner |
| signals, as well as sounds, to communicate. | | | | conducted a series of experiments in the |
| Just watch a child who's been in trouble go | | | | 1960s, to teach young chimps Ameslan, the |
| to the family dog for comfort. Pooch sits | | | | American sign language where each gesture |
| quietly, gazing into the child's eyes, his | | | | represents a word, rather than a syllable or |
| face a picture of concern and sympathy. He | | | | sound.The young female chimps learnt hundreds |
| doesn't have to say anything, he just presses | | | | of words and were even able to use these |
| gently against the child and offers moral | | | | words to invent their own phrases to suit |
| support by simply being there.HOW WE TEACH | | | | different situations. One chimp, Lucy, was |
| ANIMALS TO UNDERSTAND OUR LANGUAGESince we | | | | given her first taste of a hot radish and |
| can be taught to understand animals, | | | | signed that it was, "... cry hurt |
| researchers have tried to teach animals how | | | | food."Hearing impaired people who observed |
| to understand our language, too.Research into | | | | the chimps were able to understand them |
| the language capabilities of primates at | | | | without difficulty and the Gardners were |
| Georgia State University, Atlanta began in | | | | hopeful of being able to extend their |
| 1971 when the Lana fund was set up "to | | | | communication with the chimps.THE LAST |
| produce a language analog of human language | | | | WORDHowever, funding for the project |
| in non-human primates" and was linked to | | | | gradually dried up and the chimps were sold |
| finding different ways to teach language to | | | | for medical research.Shortly before the |
| children with disabilities.The first | | | | facility closed down, two handlers who had |
| experiments centred around Lana, a female | | | | worked on the project made one last visit. |
| chimp born in October 1970 (and named after | | | | They signed to the chimps, "What do you |
| the project - LANguage) and were simple tasks | | | | want?"One after another, the chimps signed |
| that resulted in food being released when | | | | back, "Key."The danger in learning to |
| certain keys on the computer-based keyboard | | | | understand what animals have to say is that |
| were pressed.However, Lana soon began to | | | | we may not like what we hear.Jennifer Stewart |
| string together stock sentences into | | | | has a degree in English and History and |
| meaningful and new sentences of her own | | | | taught senior High School for over twenty |
| creation, such as "You give Lana banana which | | | | years. During that time, she was Head of |
| is black?" when asking for an overly ripe | | | | Department, responsible for devising and |
| banana.According to University records, "Lana | | | | implementing teaching programs, and for |
| was the first ape to demonstrate that | | | | supervising young teachers. After leaving |
| chimpanzees could form syntactically adequate | | | | full-time teaching, she wrote (and now |
| sentences, the first to show that they were | | | | markets) writing courses for students and |
| capable of recognizing written symbols, and | | | | adults who want to improve their writing |
| the first to demonstrate that they could | | | | skills. Visit her website at and subscribe |
| read. She could take partially completed | | | | to free, weekly Writing Tips: mailto:Jennifer |
| sentences, read them and complete them | | | | also offers professional writing services - |
| appropriately."Recent research, conducted by | | | | copy writing, editing and proof reading for |
| Georgia State University Psychology | | | | your web pages, press releases, technical |
| Professor, Duane Rumbaugh, Ph.D., of the | | | | booklets, newsletters, business proposals, |
| Language Research Centre, shows that when | | | | reports or any other writing projects. |
| reared in the proper environment, chimpanzees | | | | |