Linguistics of a Dog

This week in Anthropology we've been learning about Linguistics. After reading the textbook and lecture slides, we were to read an article about a very talented Border Collie named Chaser. (It made me want to try and train Colby!!) Here's the link to the article, and you HAVE to watch the video, it's amazing!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/science/18dog.html?pagewanted=1&ref=languageandlanguages 

We then had to answer some questions for the Discussion Board

(Please forgive the odd numbering)

1.In what ways is Chaser’s linguistic performance similar to a child’s and in what ways is it different?

After years of training at 4 to 5 hours a day, Chaser has learned over 1,000 words. Though she knows the words, and can recognize the relationship between a word and a specific object, like children, her learning differs from that of a human child. While children learn an average of about 10 new words a day, Chaser learns words much slower by way of Dr. Philley, her owner, repeating the name of the object several times while showing it to her, engraining the word in her mind. It is also a slower process of learning for her because unlike children, all the sounds she hears are new to her, while children can learn by way of grouping things that belong together. Even though Chaser is a comparatively slower learner, she has the ability to understand basic verbs she is taught, much like humans, and she can distinguish their meaning while pairing it with a specific object, for example “Fetch Blue”.

1. How does Dr. Pilley try to avoid the ‘Clever Hans’ phenomenon? (Be sure to watch the video before you address this question.)

Clever Hans was a horse who was thought to be able to tap out the answers to math problems with his hoof. After careful observation, it was concluded that the horse was actually tapping his hoof until he noticed his questioner relax, he could see the smallest movements of the head  and body to tell when he was reaching the correct number. Dr. Philley conducted an experiment with Chaser using 3 toys that she knew, and asking her to either “paw, nose, or take” one of the objects. In an effort to avoid the ‘Clever Hans’ phenomenon, Dr. Philley put up a curtain between himself and the row of toys Chaser was to choose from. He brought Chaser behind the curtain with him, told her the command and object, and she would go on the other side of the curtain, where she could not see Dr. Philley at all, and complete the task.

1. Which of the properties of language that you’ve learned about are shown by Chaser?

Referential, words refer to certain elements and objects in the world.

Cultural transmission, though she probably could have learned just as well in German or French, Chaser was taught in English and understands and follows her commands in the English language.

Productivity, though she herself cannot speak the language she is showing a growth of her knowledge of understanding the language.

Arbitrariness, Chaser is taught to recognize a name for an object not always based on looks or what sounds it makes, the names are based solely on whatever Dr. Philley decides to name the object and she is made to understand its name’s relationship to the object itself.

4. In what ways are Chaser’s linguistic abilities similar to or different than those of the primates you have learned about, such as Koko and Kanzi?

Like Kanzi and Koko, Chaser is able to understand language, although at a different scale. All of these animals have the ability to understand English, but are not able to speak it themselves. However, Chaser can only follow a command, not express any feeling through language. Kanzi’s lexigram enabled him to carry on conversations, ask for things, and say his feelings much like a human would express them. He was also able to distinguish similarities between objects in order to say what she meant, because on her lexigram there was no button for pizza she picked with words “Bread, Tomato, Cheese” . 




Update: I am getting ready to put my night stand together in Intro to Hand and Power Tools, standby for pictures!! :)




Until Next Time,