In fact, some comprehend language amazingly well. Kanzi , a keyboard chimp, actually acquired his first skills while researchers struggled unsuccessfully to teach his mother. After months of silent observation, Kanzi grabbed a keyboard and hasn t shut up since. Tellingly, the apes skills flower under optimum conditions for human acquisition, i.e., among young subjects in an unstructured environment. Koko skims a picture book, alone save a video camera, and describes the photos out loud just like a human toddler.
Critics are right that the evidence is anecdotal, but it s compelling all the same.
And then there s Alex . This African grey parrot routinely describes objects by shape, colour, and material, in perfectly intelligible English. This behaviour is hard to dismiss as operant conditioning. Certainly, Alex gets a reward. In fact, a number of animals have demonstrated communicative potential.