h a l f b a k e r yNot so much a thought experiment as a single neuron misfire.
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Doctor Doolittle Device
Develop languages suited to animals' vocal tracts, and teach/talk to them using physical-modelling software to produce the sounds. | |
Beyond basic expressions of emotion, animals don't generally communicate with any complexity, dolphins possibly excepted. Cats, dogs, horses, cows, all have vocal chords and mouthparts, they just don't use them when communicating with us or each other.
Some domesticated animals can recognize human
words, and various of the Great Apes have been taught sign language. How species-centric of us.
Posited is that simple languages could be developed for each species, to maximize usage of their vocal tracts, and taught to the young through mimicry - the same way human children learn to speak - using a device incorporating physical modeling of the animals' apparatus.
They could then hold conversations with each other and, through the device, with people. More dedicated and vocally flexible people could learn to speak Cat or Dog themselves, sans electronic help.
dog attempt
http://www.clicksui...k/doggle-translate/
Intelligence or subservience or Machiavellian want. [wjt, Jul 04 2017]
Cat attempt.
https://www.youtube...watch?v=YybX8H3deNc
"Why won't you let me in?" [2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jul 04 2017]
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Annotation:
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Is there a version of this suitable to be fitted to Trump? |
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That might be impossible, but we could probably improve his hairpiece's vocabulary. |
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// They could then hold conversations with each other // |
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Many species already communicate very effectively amongst themselves. |
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// suitable to be fitted to Trump? // |
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Why would The Don want to communicate with lower life-forms* ? He has people to do that for him. |
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*Cats, squirrels, chickens, the french, the democratic party ... |
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I'm not sure if animals would hold conversations as we understand the term. The idea of a "conversation" is peculiarly human, and we have lots of mental gadgetry to support it. For instance, we inherently model other people and things in our own brains; and we understand the idea of "questions". I'm not sure it would occur to a dog to ask "what do you think of this weather?" |
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No, but it could assist the dog to say “sausages”. |
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