If I Could Talk to the Animals --Dr. Dolittle -- My Idol

So, I have a variety of animals and what I really wish is that I could talk to them like Dr. Dolittle of book and movie fame!  Oh, to have conversations with a parrot or hedgehog or llama or horse.  What a wonderful life that would be.

Say, what!?!

For years, people (scientists included) believed that we, human beings, were the only animals that had language -- and that's what made us different.  In recent time, scientists have been surprised to find that many animals have complex forms of communication, though they are quick to say that these forms do not fulfill all of the properties of human language.  (If you want to learn more about the properties, they are: arbitrariness, cultural transmission, discreteness, displacement, duality, metalinguistics, and productivity.)

Interestingly, many studies of animal communication/language is done with the animal learning OUR language or a human language, in any case.  Koko, the ape studied by Dr. Francine Patterson, learned American Sign Language.  Alex, the famous African grey parrot studied by Dr. Irene Pepperberg, learned English.  And the list goes on...and these animals do not learn to speak (or sign) as well as one would expect from a human.

However, scientists were surprised to learn that prairie dogs' communication system could identify what kind of animal was approaching, how the predator was acting, and give general information about the animal's size, color, and speed of travel.  This research was done by Dr.  Con Slobodchikoff.

While I liked learning about the research done by scientists like Dr. Patterson and Dr. Pepperberg, I am particularly gratified by the studies of Dr. Slobodchikoff.  In my mind, HE is more like Dr. Dolittle than the other two.  He learned the 'language' of the prairie dogs instead of expecting them to learn his language.  I hope he is doing further studies.  (Please note that Dr. Patterson and Dr. Pepperberg were not only studying language skills, but trying to learn more about the cognitive ability of their subjects.)

Yeah, I'm talking to you!

 Here on the Funny Farm, I conduct my own little studies.  Yes, my critters (except Prickly Paul-yet- and maybe Lizzy the bearded dragon) know their names and respond, when they want.  I don't even have to have food for them to come when called, though I have to admit that food does help with some of them.  I am learning to 'communicate' like a prey animal through study with Parelli Natural Horsemanship.  I take my llamas to Llama Camp to learn more about how llamas think from people who know more than I do.  I went to a Macropod Informational Exchange to learn more about macropods (like Clancy, my wallaby).  There is so much to learn.  Oh, yeah, I try to train my animals, but they also train me.

Maybe someday I will be more like Dr. Dolittle and be able to talk to the animals.  "If [I] could talk to the animals, just imagine it.....what a neat achievement that would be!....If we could talk to the animals, learn their languages...talk with the animals, grunt and squeak and squawk with the animals, and they could squeak and squawk and speak and talk to [me].".