Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-11-25
TEACHING ANIMALS TO SPEAK.
Prof. Bells Dog Could Say, "How Are
You, Grandma"


method Of his own invention which
long ago proved highly successful with
dearborn people.
There are, Of course, several spe-
cies of animals that talk, the most
notable among them being the par
rot, which. Prof Bell asserts. under
stands at least some of the words 1t
+utters A parrots remarks are not
invariably senseless gable.
Why should the parrot talk, while
the monkey says nothing ineligible?
1t is certainly not a question Of in
telligence. The parrot, in the opinion
Of naturalists. is better equipped mem
tally than any other kind OF bird, its
only rival in this respect being the
crow, which. by the way. is likewise
something of conversationalist.
But 1t is vastly the inferior Of the
monkey, which comes easily next to
man in intellectual development.
Is 1t, then, a matter that concerns
the structure of the vocal organs?
Surely not" says Prof. Bell. The
parrot, like the magpie or any other
talking bird, has no mechanism for
articulate speech resembling that
with which human beings are provid-
ed Apparently 1t does not use its
tongue at all for speaking. The
sounds it utters, initiative Of our
speech, are produced by the help OF
a peculiar organ called the "syrinx,"
far back and down in the throat.
In this respect the monkey has a
great advantage over the parrot. Its
throat and mouth structures-the
whole vocal apparatus indeed-are
exactly like those Of human being.
The only reason the monkey does not
talk Is that 1t has not learned to do
so. So far as speech Is concerned the
monkey might be said to be on the
same plane as a deaf-born person,
barring the important circumstances
that it's intelligence Is much inferior.
But, on the other hand, 1t has the
enormous advantage Of being able to
hear. Hence the applicability in Its
case Of Prof. Bells method, which
consists in manipulating the voice.
producing parts.
when : was a young man." said
Prof. Bell the other day, my father
taught a school for the cure Of stam-
mering I took particular notice OF
the differences in the size and shape OF
the mouths of the stammering pupils,
and so was led to study the vocal or
gans of persons who had no defects
OF speech. Incidentally, 1t occurred
TO me to wonder IL the mouth Of a
dog would produce anything like ar
ticulate speech.
IT had a Skye terrier, more than
ordinarily intelligent. Taking his
muzzle in my hand, tried to manipu-
late his mouth, causing his lips TO
open and close number Of times IN
succession while he growled. He had
been taught to growl. And in this
way he was made to give utterance
to the syllables ma, ma, ma After
a little practice / was able to make
his say, with perfect distinctness, the
word mamma pronounced In the
English way, with the accent on the
second syllable.
II then placed my thumb under his
lower jaw between the bones, and,
pushing up a number Of times In
succession, caused the dog to pro-
nounce the syllables ga, ga, ga BY
pushing up the thumb once and then
squeezing his muzzle twice in success
sion he was made to say ga, ma, ma,
and by practice this was rendered
ludicrously like the word grand
mamma Through careful manipu-
lation of the muzzle (the lessons be-
ing helped by system Of rewards) l
obtained sounds that passed for 'ah,'
'oo' and 'ow.' The elimination or this
linguistic education was reached when
the dog was able to speak in an in
teligent manner the complete SEN
tence. How are you, grandmamma?
pronounced 'Ow ah 90, ga-ma-maE
1.-The fame Of the talking dog
spread, and many were the visitors
who came to the house for the ex-
press purpose Of seeing him sit up on
his hind legs and, with little assist
ance from my hand, growl for the
words, How are you, gradmamma? !?
II so much could be done with a
dog what may not be accomplished
with a monkey. which possesses, like
man, a complete equipment for ar
ticulate speech so far as physiological
structure goes? 1t does not talk be-
cause it has never learned how. But
can II learn how? This is exactly the
question for which Prof. Bell Is try
Ing all dIS"cI. II Sdli NC NS-
termined only by experiment.
The monkey is not only more intelli-
gent than the parrot, but Is even more
Initiative. 1t is excepting MANI the
only creature on earth that Is capa-
BILE Of articulate speech. Prof. Bell
believes that apes can be taught, at
all events, to say a few words-at first
by manipulation of their mouths and
throats, as is done with the deaf
born. We may live, he thinks, to
hear chimpanzees talk, and with some
degree of understanding Of their own
remarks.
Prof r. l.. Garner has tried to make
phonogra phic records of ordinary
monkey talk, setting up his machine
in front of the animals cages. but
many scientific men look upon MS
results as of little value, however In
teresting they may be. 1t is evident
that the monkeys themselves have not
a high opinion of this work, inasmuch
as they usually amuse themselves dur
ing the performance by throwing saw
dust into the horn. But the fact is
that no wild monkey or any other
wild animal does much talking even
in it's own language. Parrots do lit
tie besides croak and scream.
To teach monkeys to speak English
or any other human language Is an
different undertaking.
if the effort is to be sue
cessful the animal must be taken
young; that is to say, in babyhood.
Parrots and crows cannot be taught
to talk unless they are reft as fedg-
lings from the parent nest
Among parrots the best all takers
is the famous double yellOwhead,
which is native to tropical America.
When wanted for market it is always
taken from the nest. The birds build
their nests in holes and hollows or
trees. In parts of Mexico, particularly
in the state of Tamaulipas, where
they are found in countless f1ocks,
making the forest vocal with their
raucous screams. they are so numer-
Gus that every available cavity Is oc-
cupied in the nesting season. The ma
tives employed to collect the young
ones are obliged to climb for them, Of
course, and their task is one OF no
little danger, inasmuch as the trees
are inhabited by swarms Of ants,
which both bite and sting terribly. so
that sometimes the poor "peon," un-
able to endure the agony, falls to the
ground and is killed.
The gray African parrot, with red
tail. is good talker, though by no
means equal in this respect to the
n L. l.. g..