Can apes speak?

People communicate with languages and teach languages to computers. Could animals be taught language? May be they don’t speak because nobody ever 1 try to teach them. But if to try, what will they tell us about themselves and about outselves? Since 1970-ies the researchers 2 start the experiments.

When people go to the zoo, the animals that often seem the most interesting are the apes - chimpanzees, gorillas, etc. We regard apes as the ‘cleverest’ animals so much of their behaviour seems to be similar to human one. They are among the only four animal species recognizing their reflections. The apes are very social animals. They make friends with each other and bring up their children up to 15. Young apes often look after younger brothers or sisters. Apes can even lie to each other. Jane Goodall 4 observe chimps in the nature for 30 years. She 5 describe the episode when a chimp had seen bananas. The chimp knew, that it couldn’t restrain food shout at the sight of bananas. So it bypassed bananas, trying not to come nearer. She 6 wait. When everyone 7 leave, she 8 approach and 9 start eating. Here is another episode. The leader of the chimp group was frightened and his facial expression changed. His lips formed a grin which is the sign of fear at monkeys. Not to loose his leadership the chimp 10 turn away from his relatives, and to make his expression ordinary he 11 pull his lips with the hands for a while. Only after correcting his features, he turned back to the group. Because just apes in the nature seem in many ways similar to people, the researches chose them for teaching human language.

Unlike parrots, apes haven’t voice means (средства) to simulate the human speech. It was decided to teach them ASL (American sign language), that deaf people use. This language consists of hand and body signs. The results were sucsessful. The apes 12 learn from 400 to 1000 words comparing with 2000 words of human everyday life. They used the simpliest grammar structures. They could communicate with people for half an hour, use words in new ways to describe new situations, understand cause and effect. Moreover they could express with their new language quite complicated feelings.

The most talented pupil was gorilla Koko. One day Koko’s trainer 13 come into the bathroom, when Koko 14 tear a sponge. This was something Koko was not allowed to do and she knew it. Koko’s trainer looked at the sponge and said, “What’s this?” Koko used the sign for “Trouble”. She did not reply, “A torn sponge”. Instead, she described the result of her action. This shows that Koko 15 understand cause and effect. More amazing is this story: Koko was asked which of two people she liked best. Both people were in the room. Koko looked from one to the other and replied, “Bad question”, showing sensitivity (неравнодушие) to their feelings. These discoveries caused some unexpected problems. The San Francisco zoo 16 try to take Koko back for a whole year. But Koko’s trainer 17 refuse to give her back. She said that Koko 18 become an individual, whose individual rights were more important than the zoo’s property (собственность) rights.

The same facts coused different opinions. Some reseachers consider that apes can speak, the other researchers disagree. These are their arguments. None of the apes ever taught another ape to sign. Although some female chimps 19 have babies during the experiment, the baby chimps never 20 learn sign language from their mothers. Humans, however, always pass on language to their children. The most striking difference between human and chimpanzee language is the fact that the chimps needed long and repeated training. When parents speak to children they do not repeat the same word for months, or reward the child with a chocolate bar or a banana each time the child responds correctly. Young children need no special training for learning to speak.

There were different kinds of experiments with the apes, taught ASL. In one of the experiments the photos of people and apes were spread before the chimp, including the portraits of her relatives. The chimp was suggested to sort the photos in two piles. She put all the people in one pile and all the apes in another, including her relatives. The chimp put her own photo to people. While she 21 sort, she 22 comment her actions. Putting any human portrait to the people she signed “Man”. Putting any ape portrait to the apes she signed “ape”. Putting her own portrait to the people she signed “I speak”.

Артикли

A (an) – Indefinite Article, неопределённый артикль

Восходит к числительному «one», поэтому используется только с существительным в единственном числе

1 – Относит предмет или явление к разряду подобных, может быть заменён на «один из», «какой-нибудь»

He is a student Give me a pen

Используется

2 –при первом упоминании предмета или лица

They live in a new house

3 – с глаголами для выражения кратковременного действия

to have a talk to give a smile

4 – для обозначения временного промежутка в значении «один»

in a minute for a while

The – Definite Article, определённый артикль

Восходит к местоимению «this», правильность постановки может проверяться заменой на «this»

Используется

1 – Если существительное ранее упоминалось

For lunch I had a sandwich and an apple. The sandwich wasn’t very good

2 – Eсли из ситуации или контекста ясно, о ком или о чём речь

I cleaned the car yesterday (= my car) Is the coffee hot? (this coffee)

3 – если существительное имеет ограничительное определение

Did Ann get the job she applied for?

4 – если перед существительным стоит прилагательное в превосходной степени

It’s the funniest book I’ve ever read

5 – с единственными в своём роде существительными

the earth, the sun, the moon, the universe

6 – для обозначения специалистов, музыкальных инструментов и некоторых учреждений

the doctor, the guitar, the bank

Артикль не употребляется

1 – с существительными во множественном числе для отнесения к разряду (там где с единственным числом употреблялся бы “a”)

We are students

2 – с существительными в обобщённом смысле (можно заменить на

«любой», «любые»)

Hares like carrots Libraries are available now in the Net

3 – в устойчивых выражениях

at school, at home, go home, come home, to have breakfast, for dinner

While the auto waits (after O’Henry)

  ¹ __ girl in grey came again to that quite corner of ² __ park. She sat down on ³ __ bench and began to read ⁴ __ book. She had come here at ⁵ __ same hour on ⁶ __ previous day, and on ⁷ __ day before that, and there was ⁸ __ young man who new it. ⁹ __ young man came nearer. At that moment her book fell on ¹⁰__ ground. ¹¹__ young man picked up ¹² __ book and returned it to ¹³ __ girl, saying ¹⁴ __ few words about ¹⁵ __ weather and stood waiting. ¹⁶ __ girl looked at his simple coat and his common face.

“You may sit down, if you like,” she said. “¹⁷ __ light is too bad for reading. I should like to talk”.

“Do you know,” he said, “that you are ¹⁸ __ finest girl I have seen.”

“Whoever you are,” said ¹⁹ __ girl in ²⁰ __ icy tone, “you must remember that I am ²¹ __ lady.”

“I beg you pardon,” said ²² __ young man, but – “

“Let's change ²³ __ subject. I come here to seat because it is here that I can be near the masses of people. I speak to you because I want to speak to ²⁴ __natural man. Oh! You don’t know how tired I am of all these – ²⁵ __dinners, ²⁶__ trips, ²⁷__ parties. I am tied of ²⁸ __pleasure, of ²⁹ __travel.”

“I always had ³⁰__ idea,” said ³¹__ young man, “that money can be ³² __ very good thing.”

“When you have so many millions! ³³ __theatres, ³⁴__ balls, ³⁵__ suppers! I am tired of it,” said ³⁶ __ young girl.

³⁷ __ young man looked at her with ³⁸ __interest. “Sometimes, continued ³⁹ __ girl, I think if I ever loved ⁴⁰ __ man I would love ⁴¹ __ simple man. What are you?”

“I am ⁴² __ very simple man. But I hope to rise in ⁴³ __ world. I work at ⁴⁴ __ restaurant.”

⁴⁵The girl drew back. “I’m ⁴⁶ __ cashier at ⁴⁷ __ restaurant you see there with that brilliant electric sign.”

The girl looked at her watch and rose. “Why are you not at ⁴⁸ __work?” she asked.

“I am on night shift,” said ⁴⁹ __ young man, “may I hope to see you again?”

  “I don’t know. I must go now. Oh, there’s ⁵⁰ __dinner and ⁵¹ __ concert to-night. Perhaps you noticed ⁵² __ white auto at ⁵³ __ corner of ⁵⁴ __ park when you came?”

  “Yes, I did,” said the young man.

“I always come in it,” ⁵⁵ __ girl said,” ⁵⁶ __ driver is waiting for me there. Good night.”

“But it is dark now,” said young man. “May I accompany you to ⁵⁷ __ car?”

“You will remain on ⁵⁸ __ bench for ten minutes after I have left.”

  And she went away. ⁵⁹ __ young man looked at her elegant figure while she was going to ⁶⁰ __ entrance of ⁶¹ __ park. Then he rose and followed her. When she reached ⁶² __ park gate, she turned her head to look at ⁶³ __ car, then passed it, crossed ⁶⁴ __ street and entered ⁶⁵ __ restaurant. A red-haired girl left ⁶⁶ __ cashier’s desk and ⁶⁷ __ girl in grey took her place.