This is an interesting article about a recent phenomenon on Instagram (Hunger4words) - short videoclips of a dog called Stella trained by its owner, a human speech therapist, to use a board with electronic buttons that activate single words like ‘outside’ and ‘ball’; the owner claims Stella has learnt to talk. This article takes a sceptical view, and also asks ‘why do we always want animals to use human language?’: Can That Dog on Instagram Really “Talk”?
Can dogs use human language?
- Thread starter HAH
- Start date
- Location
- Andorra and Spain
Pretty much sums up my thoughts: it’s sweet, it’s interesting, it’s worthwhile, but it’s not yet evidence of verbal communication.
I’m quite happy my lot can’t speak. They already know how to ask for things they want. Providing a button so they can turn into a nagging toddler: “Mummy, mummy, mummy, Mummy, Mummy, MUMMY!!!”... er, no thanks
I’m quite happy my lot can’t speak. They already know how to ask for things they want. Providing a button so they can turn into a nagging toddler: “Mummy, mummy, mummy, Mummy, Mummy, MUMMY!!!”... er, no thanks
- Location
- Canberra, Australia
Horses have been trained to indicate whether they want their rug on or off (this was done as part of a well designed study so it’s well documented) by touching different symbols that meant ‘rug on’ ‘rug off’ and ‘no change’.
Same as a dog using buttons to produce a sound that has a meaning that prompts a human behavioural response.
Words are just nuanced sounds that have a shared meaning. Nothing special about them - words, sounds, body postures, symbols - all are the same if used to elicit a response in another being. So I see no difference between the horses (and the dog if it’s actually doing this reliably) and people talking, or your dog standing by the door to indicate that he wants to go out. All the same.
Same as a dog using buttons to produce a sound that has a meaning that prompts a human behavioural response.
Words are just nuanced sounds that have a shared meaning. Nothing special about them - words, sounds, body postures, symbols - all are the same if used to elicit a response in another being. So I see no difference between the horses (and the dog if it’s actually doing this reliably) and people talking, or your dog standing by the door to indicate that he wants to go out. All the same.
- Location
- SW London UK
I had an interesting conversation with a class of 8 year old children about whether centipedes could communicate, not necessarily language or with humans but with each other. One child’s view was if they can mate then are communicating with each other. 
the things they come up with!
This was a reading lesson discussing if the story was fantasy or adventure fiction.
the things they come up with! This was a reading lesson discussing if the story was fantasy or adventure fiction.
- Location
- Andorra and Spain
The thing that the dog's owner is claiming is that the dog is able to combine words in a way that makes it more than a straightforward cue. We know that modifier cues are "a thing", but her interpretation is that it is more complex than that. For example, when the "beach" button was broken, the dog chose "outside" and "water". If that's reliable, it's pretty cool. But the cynic in me has loads of questions about it
"Dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner!" It's bad enough that us monkey butlers can no longer say the word "dinner" without someone rushing to the kitchen.Pretty much sums up my thoughts: it’s sweet, it’s interesting, it’s worthwhile, but it’s not yet evidence of verbal communication.
I’m quite happy my lot can’t speak. They already know how to ask for things they want. Providing a button so they can turn into a nagging toddler: “Mummy, mummy, mummy, Mummy, Mummy, MUMMY!!!”... er, no thanks
- Location
- Canberra, Australia
Yeah, I’m not really arguing a counter point. I’m not saying the dog or horses can combine sounds in new and meaningful ways like humans can (ie take syllables and make words, or take words and make sentences). But I do think that our language abilities are not fundamentally different to those of other animals. More impressive than most, but not fundamentally different. I know that plenty of people have devoted careers to arguing and trying to demonstrate otherwise!
So sort of ‘differently evolved’? Like we’ve evolved from Neanderthal communication but without moving on to grammar and tenses etc.? I’m interested in this idea.
- Location
- Andorra and Spain
Haha, my dogs don't know "dinner", or any form of it.
They do, however, know how to tell the time
