A talking animal or speaking animal refers to any form of animal which can speak a human language. Many species or groups of animals have developed a language, even through vocal communication between its members, or interspecies, with an understanding of what they are communicating. As well, studies in animal cognition have been arguably successful in teaching some animals a language, such as sign language with Koko the gorilla. For these reasons, this phenomenon is widely discussed and investigated, while skeptics consider the results to be a form of mimicry and the observer-expectancy effect, not true communication.
A very similar perspective of study is talking animals in fiction.
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On imitation and understanding
The term may have a nearly literal meaning, by referring to animals which can imitate human speech, though not necessarily possessing an understanding of what they may be mimicking. The most common example of this would be parrots, many of which repeat many things nonsensically through exposure. It is an anthropomorphism to call this human speech, as it has no semantic grounding.
Clever Hans was a horse that was claimed to have been able to perform arithmetic and other intellectual tasks. After formal investigation in 1907, psychologist Oskar Pfungst demonstrated that the horse was not actually performing these mental tasks, but was watching the reaction of his human observers. The horse was responding directly to involuntary cues in the body language of the human trainer, who had the faculties to solve each problem, with the trainer unaware that he was providing such cues.[1]
On formality of animal language
A "formal language" requires a communication with a syntax as well as semantics. It is not simply sufficient for one to communicate information, or even use symbology to communicate ideas. It has yet to be demonstrated that any animal species has developed a formal language, or been able to learn a formal language.
Researchers have attempted to teach great apes (Gorillas, Chimpanzees, and Bonobos) spoken language with poor results, and sign language with significantly better results. However, even the best communicating great ape has shown an inability to grasp the idea of syntax and grammar, instead communicating ever at best at the same level as a pidgin language in Humans. They are expressive and communicative, but lack the formality that remains such a rarity in human speech.
Reported cases by species
Birds
Research done by Dr. Irene Pepperberg strongly suggests that parrots are capable of speaking in context and with intentional meaning. Pepperberg's star pupil, Alex the African Grey Parrot, had demonstrated the ability to assemble words out of letters--in other words, to read and spell.
Dogs
- Odie, the talking pug that will say a convincing "I love you" on demand has made appearances on Letterman and on The Montel Show and on AOL's "T.V. top 5".[2]
- Paranormal researcher Charles Fort wrote in his book Wild Talents (1932) of several alleged cases of dogs that could speak English. Fort took the stories from contemporary newspaper counts, but they are unverifiable at this late date.
Cats
- A talking cat called Cingene (Gypsy) made Turkish television news on March 20 1993. The two year old black cat managed to say at least seven words on television. [3]
- A more recent Internet phenomenon is the case of a cat who was videotaped speaking recognizable human words and phrases such as "Oh my dog," "Oh Don piano", and "All the live long day." Footage of this cat, nicknamed "Oh Long Johnson" from one of the phrases spoken, was featured on America's Funniest Home Videos in 1998, and a longer version of the clip (which revealed the animal was speaking to another cat) was later aired in the UK. Clips from this video are prevalent on YouTube.
- Another recent Internet phenomenon is the cat named Tiggy who was videotaped walking down a hallway speaking recognizable human words such as "Hello" and "I'm alone". Footage of Tiggy first appeared on youtube and then made its way on to several TV Shows in Both the USA and the U.K. other videos of Tiggy speaking can be found on youtube also.
Other
- Hoover, a harbor seal that would vocally repeat common phrases he heard around his exhibit at the New England Aquarium, including his name. He appeared in publications like Reader's Digest and The New Yorker and television programs like Good Morning America.[4]
- Gef the talking mongoose was an alleged talking animal who inhabited a small house on the Isle of Man, off the coast of mainland Great Britain. Opinion is divided on whether Gef was a poltergeist, a strange animal or cryptid, a hoax, or something else. Most doubt the case happened at all as told.
- Batyr (1969–1993), an elephant from Kazakhstan, was widely published as having a vocabulary of more than 20 phrases. Recordings of Batyr saying "Batyr is good","Batyr is hungry" and using words such as "drink" and "give" was played on Kazakh state radio in 1980.[3]
- Kosik (1990— ), an elephant able to imitate some Korean words
See also
References
- ^ "Clever Hans phenomenon". skepdic. http://skepdic.com/cleverhans.html. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
- ^ "the talking pug". http://www.thetalkingpug.com/. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
- ^ a b "Conversing cows and eloquent elephants". fortunecity.com. http://www.fortunecity.com/emachines/e11/86/fortean1.html. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
- ^ Biographical details for Hoover at the website for the New England Aquarium (accessed May 19, 2008).
External links
- New England Aquarium's Hoover page
- Listen to Nature "The Language of Birds" includes article and audio samples of 'talking' birds
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