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Koko, A Gorilla

Comments

  • #2
    Adam Khor
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,279 ✭✭✭Adam Khor


    She has also expressed her wish for a baby of her own through sign language.


  • #3
    AllthingsCP
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 680 ✭✭✭AllthingsCP


    Adam Khor wrote: »
    She has also expressed her wish for a baby of her own through sign language.

    Ya i watched all the Videos, She pretty amazing character, Just goes to show how wrong people are when we view them as objects.


  • #4
    robp
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭robp


    bad science. These animals are not using language in the human sense (open ended system, grammar, syntax). Animals do communicate but they don't have language. the whole Koko thing is wishful thinking.


  • #5
    Adam Khor
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,279 ✭✭✭Adam Khor


    robp wrote: »
    bad science. These animals are not using language in the human sense (open ended system, grammar, syntax). Animals do communicate but they don't have language. the whole Koko thing is wishful thinking.

    How is it wishful thinking?

    From what I've seen, Koko doesn´t communicate with complex "phrases", let alone grammatically correct ones, but rather with simple words, so yeah, she doesn´t use language in the same way we do, but thing is she manages to communicate ideas or thoughts via sign language, which is impressive enough for a creature that would use mostly body language to communicate with her peers. She's not even the only ape known to have learned sign language. Also, many apes understand spoken language to a great extent, despite being physically unable to use it themselves.


  • #6
    robp
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭robp


    Adam Khor wrote: »
    How is it wishful thinking?

    From what I've seen, Koko doesn´t communicate with complex "phrases", let alone grammatically correct ones, but rather with simple words, so yeah, she doesn´t use language in the same way we do, but thing is she manages to communicate ideas or thoughts via sign language, which is impressive enough for a creature that would use mostly body language to communicate with her peers. She's not even the only ape known to have learned sign language. Also, many apes understand spoken language to a great extent, despite being physically unable to use it themselves.

    The reason I say this is that apparently Koko can make signs, but if you watch an unedited video of her communicating, she just does signs until she gets a happy response from her handler. She's not communicating so much as offering up things until one thing gets a reward IMO.


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