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Diploid
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Monkeys 'string words together'
#5655599 - 05/21/06 08:18 AM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4992598.stm
Monkeys 'string words together'
The first evidence monkeys can string "words" together to communicate in a similar way to humans has been found. Putty-nosed monkeys in West Africa share the human ability to combine different sounds to mean different things, according to researchers.
St Andrews University, UK, scientists found the creatures, in Nigeria's Gashaka Gumti National Park, used two main call types to warn of predators.
But a particular sequence of calls also appeared to mean something else.
The scientists identified two call types - "pyows" and "hacks" - which the monkeys use to alert each other to danger; but found a string of pyows warned of a loitering leopard, while a burst of hacks indicated a hovering eagle.
A sentence made up of several pyows, followed by a few hacks, told the group to move to safer ground.
'Ignore meaning'
Dr Kate Arnold, a primate psychologist, discovered the phenomena by playing variations of the calls back to the monkeys to see how they behaved.
This showed they could encode fresh information by combining two existing calls, rather than creating a new sound, she said.
"These calls were not produced randomly and a number of distinct patterns emerged," she said.
"The pyow-hack sequence means something like 'let's go', whereas the pyows by themselves have multiple functions and the hacks are generally used as alarm calls.
"This is the first good example of animal calls being combined in meaningful ways.
"The implications of this research are that primates, at least, may be able to ignore the usual relationship between an individual call and any meaning that it might convey under certain circumstances."
The research has been carried out over the past three years, and has been published in the scientific journal Nature.
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monamine
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Re: Monkeys 'string words together' [Re: Diploid]
#5658001 - 05/21/06 08:44 PM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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In my (very) humble opinion I always thought all higher primates have the ability neurologically to use language, just not the vocal cords to talk.
Edited by monamine (05/21/06 08:44 PM)
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Colonel Kurtz Ph.D
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Re: Monkeys 'string words together' [Re: monamine]
#5658512 - 05/21/06 10:49 PM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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That reminds me of this XIX's century theory that said that monkeys could actually talk but were so intelligent that they knew we would enslave them if the did (true story)
But onto the article, it's a fascinating find! Looks like we're more monkey-like that some of us thought
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monamine
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I wouldn't go so far as to say that monkies are in any way as smart as humans, but there's no doubt in my mind that higher mammals are way more intelligent than most people think.
Sometimes people forget that humans are animals...
Edited by monamine (05/21/06 11:20 PM)
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supercollider
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Re: Monkeys 'string words together' [Re: monamine]
#5658980 - 05/22/06 01:14 AM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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"They used to say that a million monkeys randomly mashing keyboards would eventually write Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know that's not true."
I forget who wrote that. Dave Barry maybe?
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Colonel Kurtz Ph.D
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Re: Monkeys 'string words together' [Re: monamine]
#5662085 - 05/22/06 09:53 PM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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That's exactly what I was implying, noticed the sarcastic smily?
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makaveli8x8
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so if i lose my vocal cords, and can nolonger talk does that mean the sick human race will nolonger enslave me?
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Colonel Kurtz Ph.D
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Re: Monkeys 'string words together' [Re: makaveli8x8]
#5669043 - 05/24/06 03:00 PM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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Well, maybe if you don't do anything useful... Those fuckers like to enslave tho!
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kotik
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havent monkies been able to use sign language for over a decade now?
http://www.monkeyouttanowhere.com/news/2004/08/09_10_07.html
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freddurgan
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Re: Monkeys 'string words together' [Re: supercollider]
#5670265 - 05/24/06 09:02 PM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
supercollider said: "They used to say that a million monkeys randomly mashing keyboards would eventually write Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know that's not true."
I forget who wrote that. Dave Barry maybe?
If they had an infinite amount of time they would.
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monamine
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Re: Monkeys 'string words together' [Re: kotik]
#5670587 - 05/24/06 10:23 PM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
kotik said: havent monkies been able to use sign language for over a decade now?
http://www.monkeyouttanowhere.com/news/2004/08/09_10_07.html
Yeah, but there are a lot of dogmatic morons that think they are just playing "monkey see,monkey do" (pun intended?) and have no real grasp of language.
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Diploid
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Re: Monkeys 'string words together' [Re: monamine]
#5673586 - 05/25/06 03:56 PM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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Yeah, but there are a lot of dogmatic morons that think they are just playing "monkey see,monkey do" (pun intended?) and have no real grasp of language.
The most recent experiments have been carefully designed to prevent the monkey-see-monkey-do possibility, and the evidence is very persuasive that these animals really are using language and not just imitating.
One unexpected recent finding occurred after one of the researchers got married. The animals knew the sign-language for 'finger' and also for 'bracelet', but they had never been taught the word for 'ring'.
When the researcher got married and started wearing a ring, one of the animals immediately noticed it and asked what the 'finger-bracelet' was?
Having no word for 'ring', the animal invented a new compound word for it from the words he did know. I doubt that result could happen due to imitation.
-------------------- Republican Values: 1) You can't get married to your spouse who is the same sex as you. 2) You can't have an abortion no matter how much you don't want a child. 3) You can't have a certain plant in your possession or you'll get locked up with a rapist and a murderer. 4) We need a smaller, less-intrusive government.
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Colonel Kurtz Ph.D
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Re: Monkeys 'string words together' [Re: freddurgan]
#5675393 - 05/26/06 12:25 AM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
freddurgan said:
Quote:
supercollider said: "They used to say that a million monkeys randomly mashing keyboards would eventually write Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know that's not true."
I forget who wrote that. Dave Barry maybe?
If they had an infinite amount of time they would.
Just like simple energy evolved into protons into atoms which created planets which carried molecules that evolved into ADN into bacteries into fishes into reptiles into mammals into humans and into cybernetic crazyness!! And here we are, indeed we are
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Anonymous
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Re: Monkeys 'string words together' [Re: Diploid]
#5676208 - 05/26/06 08:03 AM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
Diploid said: Yeah, but there are a lot of dogmatic morons that think they are just playing "monkey see,monkey do" (pun intended?) and have no real grasp of language.
The most recent experiments have been carefully designed to prevent the monkey-see-monkey-do possibility, and the evidence is very persuasive that these animals really are using language and not just imitating.
One unexpected recent finding occurred after one of the researchers got married. The animals knew the sign-language for 'finger' and also for 'bracelet', but they had never been taught the word for 'ring'.
When the researcher got married and started wearing a ring, one of the animals immediately noticed it and asked what the 'finger-bracelet' was?
Having no word for 'ring', the animal invented a new compound word for it from the words he did know. I doubt that result could happen due to imitation.
Hahaha, yeah that's pretty damn dope
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relativexistance
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Re: Monkeys 'string words together' [Re: Diploid]
#5685916 - 05/29/06 09:23 AM (17 years, 8 months ago) |
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