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