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From: djb@rayssd.RAY.COM (Douglas J. Bonn)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Why can't my cat talk?
Message-ID: <1653@rayssd.RAY.COM>
Date: Wed, 28-Oct-87 08:53:32 EST
Article-I.D.: rayssd.1653
Posted: Wed Oct 28 08:53:32 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 31-Oct-87 09:09:04 EST
References: <11967@decwrl.DEC.COM> <12400006@iuvax>
Sender: djb@rayssd.RAY.COM (Douglas J. Bonn @ Raytheon Company, Portsmouth RI)
Reply-To: djb@rayssd.RAY.COM (Douglas J. Bonn)
Organization: Raytheon Company, Portsmouth RI
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In article <12400006@iuvax> merrill@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu writes:
>There is evidence that supports an argument the humans are "pre-equipped" to
>speak and to participate in language.  In particular, the structure of the
>adult human velum is different from that found in other great apes, which,
>like human babies, can brethe while they swallow.  Adult humans (in fact,
>human one-year-olds) can no longer do so.  This modification is closely
>associated with the ability of the tongue to produce a number of the standard
>vowels. This argument is not air-tight, since children deaf from birth can
>(and do, if given the chance) acquire language, even though they do not speak.
>[...]
>John Merrill
>ARPA:   merrill@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu
>UUCP:   merrill@iuvax
>BITnet: merrill%iuvax.cs.indiana.edu@psuvax 

It seems to me that we need to draw a distinction between the mental ability
to comprehend and form independent thoughts (called phrases and sentences)
from the vocal organs necessary for speech. I once had a cat that seemed
smart enough to talk (but didn't often condescend to speak to me :-) though
she didn't have the vocal chords for it, and there are mentally retarded 
people that don't seem to have the necessary intelligence to speak.

While it is not exactly "speech", monkeys have been taught sign-language.
They can ask for food, recognize people (even from photographs), ask to
be let out of their cages, etc.  I don't know enough about the study
(but perhaps someone out there does), but the last I heard, the research
with monkeys doing sign was curtailed.

"Why can't my cat talk?" Perhaps if she could think as we understand thought,
she would learn to meow in Morse Code or use a PC.
-- 
Douglas J. Bonn, Esq.  djb@rayssd.ray.com

"As far as we can determine, our system has never had an undetected error..."