--- Robert Seeberger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/01/02/wchimp02.xml > &sSheet=/news/2003/01/02/ixworld.html&secureRefresh=true&_requestid=156967 > > A chimpanzee has challenged the widely held view > that animals do not have > language by making up its own words from scratch. > > Kanzi, an adult bonobo or pygmy chimpanzee kept at > Georgia State University, > Atlanta, has come up with four distinct sounds for > the things closest to his > heart - banana, juice, grapes and yes. <snip>
Koko the gorilla (the one who had a pet kitten and named it) made up a new 'sign:' as part of her regular diet, she was given leafy greens, which her trainers referred to verbally as 'browse,' while labeling all her snacks (greens, fruits etc,) an inclusive 'sign.' They were later puzzled by Koko's pointing to her face as something she wanted; then they realized that she was touching her eyebrow (for which there is apparently some other 'sign,' as she was taught body parts (eye, nose, foot etc.)). When they showed her a unit of 'browse' greens and asked if that was what she meant, she again touched her eyebrow and made the sign for 'want,' reaching for the snack. (IIRC; this was from an article I read years ago.) So she invented a sign for something, apparently able to understand the concept of verbal homonyms in order to do so. Pretty impressive. http://www.koko.org/world/ Goobrus Beware Maru __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
