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Chimpsky, not Chomsky: Did Nim the chimpanzee actually learn American Sign Language?

Humans are often thought to be the only animals capable of language. But it’s difficult to prove a negative like this because we’ll never definitively know the subjective interior monologues of other animals, if they even exist. Nonetheless, much research has been poured into the study of animal intellect and whether creatures like orcas, pigeons and octopuses share a similar type of sentience, especially when it comes to our close primate cousins, chimpanzees....

Originally posted on salon.com

Scientists figured out chimpanzees have a rudimentary language by pranking them with fake snakes

Humans are not merely adept at communicating danger — it is seemingly built into our brains. That may be true for most social animals, but not all animals can communicate using specific nouns or verbs to refer to present dangers. That, it seems, is the unique power of human language, an ability that provides a strong evolutionary advantage....

Originally posted on salon.com

How to speak Na’vi: An interview with the creator of the alien tongue in “Avatar”

Though Americans have a reputation for being averse to foreign-language movies and television, that appears to be changing: consider South Korea’s recent successes with “Parasite,” which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2020, and “Squid Game,” the megahit Netflix series.

Now, Americans are headed out in droves to see a movie that has numerous scenes filmed in a foreign tongue — albeit one that has no native speakers....

Originally posted on salon.com

How to speak Na’vi: An interview with the creator of the alien tongue in “Avatar”

Though Americans have a reputation for being averse to foreign-language movies and television, that appears to be changing: consider South Korea’s recent successes with “Parasite,” which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2020, and “Squid Game,” the megahit Netflix series.

Now, Americans are headed out in droves to see a movie that has numerous scenes filmed in a foreign tongue — albeit one that has no native speakers....

Originally posted on salon.com

How to speak Na’vi: An interview with the creator of the alien tongue in “Avatar”

Though Americans have a reputation for being averse to foreign-language movies and television, that appears to be changing: consider South Korea’s recent successes with “Parasite,” which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2020, and “Squid Game,” the megahit Netflix series.

Now, Americans are headed out in droves to see a movie that has numerous scenes filmed in a foreign tongue — albeit one that has no native speakers....

Originally posted on salon.com