Jump to content
NEW ADDRESS FOR MEMBERS GREYFORUMS.ORG ×
NEW ADDRESS FOR MEMBERS GREYFORUMS.ORG

First use of a meaningful phrase


Casey Luria

Recommended Posts

I know that many of you have had your birds use words in a meaningful way, but Quinn, now just two, has for the first time, asked for something. His language skills are amazing, but he is not used to hearing conversation. I live alone and have recently moved so the only person in his life has been me and the people where he boards. I think this has made it harder for him to realize that language has a use and is not just a series of funny sounds that seem to please me. Tonight he said "Wanna Skritch?", this is the first time he has verbally asked for something. Up until now it has been with body language. He did make a joke once with a sound. That was almost a year ago and he still remembers it and does it, because the audience laughed. Has anybody else found that birds living with groups of humans learn language skills differently?

Edited by Casey Luria
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very good thread, and all you say is very much the truth. In the wild, Greys and Amazon's pick up the language of tribes they live by. As a side note, a Grey can speak as many different languages as you can teach it. I can talk, can you fly?...........................

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I live mostly on my own my son sort of pops in and just like yours Alfie asks for tickle tickle and when his in bad books he says 'now be good boy Alf' not got Alfie yet! his only just one so guess yes they can still pick up the meaning of things.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes... I believe all greys pickup on the meaning of words. Even though Quinn has limited access to conversations from many people, he has you. Between the ages of one and two

they are seriously babies. Between the ages of three and four.... I promise you and aw64....it is showtime! LOL! I can't WAIT for the fun you will experience! Nancy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am already amazed and enjoying the antics. I have had only rescue Greys, poor sad scared things that decided they liked my ex husband. I vowed I would finally get one of my own where I could treat it right and enjoy more or less normal behavior and development. This is a whole new ball game and I am loving it. Quinn is a little genius, he learns so fast it takes my breath away. He is way ahead of my Grand daughter a little younger than he is. He is such a clown! If it gets better? I will believe it when I see it. I am looking forward to it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Wanna go for a ride, Pal" Stewie has a back pack i strap on and take him for bicycle rides. He can be sitting in his "tree" in the livingroom looking out the window, and i can tell he is board, and he will anounce " wanna go for a ride pal?" I will ask him to do sounds, ex. do a chicken, he squacks like chicken, cat, dog, rooster, crow, but half way through he says," can ya give me a prise"? an almond

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I live on my own, and although my CAG Gracie has been with family and friends while conversation is going on, so far she has not mimicked anything she heard from that. She speaks about 150 words (she is 20 months old) and all of that is from our interaction. Now she certainly babbles things that she does not use meaningfully , but for the major things in her life she does use words meaningfully: waking up, going to sleep, eating, playing with toys, kissing, touch, biting, tossing her food bowl, scratching, baths, stretching her wings, stepping up, going in and out of her cage, my coming and going to and from work, visitors by name coming and going etc.. I think its because from the very beginning I verbally narrated our lives together. I continually talk to her about what I am doing and what she is doing. I'm sure it would look odd to an outsider, but it is routine now and it has really paid off. I try to use simple English and always use the same expressions. Also, I don't use a lot of "I" and "You" but I use names like "Daddy go bye bye in car. Daddy go to work"--"Gracie hungry. Gracie go nite nite". She knows how to use language to describe her wants and our daily routine. I'm trying to think about other things to teach her because the basics have all been covered. I guess I could teach her each vegetable in her food bowl (now she just says "veggies"), colors, more action verbs....It is still early days.

Edited by JeffNOK
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lol Nancy--I know this sounds silly, but when Gracie started talking I wrote down all her words and phrases to keep a runnning tally. When I say 150 words I am counting little words like articles (a ,an the) and prepositions, too. It might be fairer to count the number of phrases/sentences she uses which is about 60-70 at this point. Also, some words come and go. I haven't heard her say "Gracie is a smartypants" in weeks. The meaningful phrases stick--the words that are more abstract tend to come and go. I do think she is brilliant, but then again I am an English teacher, so I have high expectations!

Edited by JeffNOK
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm trying to think about other things to teach her because the basics have all been covered. I guess I could teach her each vegetable in her food bowl (now she just says "veggies"), colors, more action verbs....It is still early days.

 

Yes! That is exactly what I have done since bringing Dayo home at 15 weeks old. Use the name of every vegetable or other food item. Use the names of every action. Use the name of every appliance etc. Believe me, Gracie is way ahead of you and already knows more than what you are hearing her use presently. It seems that Gracie is on the same word and phrase use as Dayo at 20 months. Teach them by describing everything just as you would a human baby. I stopped counting words and phrases at around 600+. They pick up new words in one day at Gracies age. You will also start hearing her pick up 3, 4 and later 5 syllable words. Like "Humidifier" 5 syllables. Dayo knows the name of every appliance in the house and what they are used for. He even tells us when the coffee pot has finished perking by saying "Coffee's Done". :P

 

Be ready for shock and awe Jeff! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Understanding veggies sounds good too. I found that Sophie LOVES music. Between guitar, piano, violin and saxaphone, Sophie LOVES music! Those are the instruments she is exposed to when kids are home, otherwise just me on the piano. She loves poems and catchy phrases. Especially Dr. Seuss. She is especially fond of all the songs from the " Sound of Music". The" doe ray me", is her absolute favorite.

Kiki on the other hand... our Amazon,is fascinated with classical music, as well as a " woman screaming when they are being killed!" She will scream as well. I prefer her to love the classical music, even if its not my taste. Nancy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lol--Gracie doesn't sing a whole lot. The only song she knows is "Jesus Loves Me" and she is just an awful singer! She sounds like a drunk Satan singing that--which is disconcerting on many levels. She likes to whistle and tends to compose her own variations on many tunes. It's a joy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ROFLOL Jeff and Nancy...wish I was a fly on the wall for those moments...Salsa loves to sing along to Pandora, especially John Denver...although her favorite sounds (Besides having a sympathy asthma attack whenever Jay or I start coughing) is to start sobbing the moment she flies over and takes a nip out of our necks...Not funny at that moment but she does crack us up...:) Maggie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes! That is exactly what I have done since bringing Dayo home at 15 weeks old. Use the name of every vegetable or other food item. Use the names of every action. Use the name of every appliance etc. Believe me, Gracie is way ahead of you and already knows more than what you are hearing her use presently. It seems that Gracie is on the same word and phrase use as Dayo at 20 months. Teach them by describing everything just as you would a human baby. I stopped counting words and phrases at around 600+. They pick up new words in one day at Gracies age. You will also start hearing her pick up 3, 4 and later 5 syllable words. Like "Humidifier" 5 syllables. Dayo knows the name of every appliance in the house and what they are used for. He even tells us when the coffee pot has finished perking by saying "Coffee's Done". :P

 

Be ready for shock and awe Jeff! :)

 

You know Dan that's interesting about the number of syllables they learn as they get older. So far although Gracie speaks in phrases, all the actual words are either one or two syllables (unless you count smarty pants as one word.) I have been trying to teach Gracie how to say "African Grey Parrot"--but she just says "Grey Parrot" She hasn't said "African"...I wonder if that is because it has three syllables.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You know Dan that's interesting about the number of syllables they learn as they get older. So far although Gracie speaks in phrases, all the actual words are either one or two syllables (unless you count smarty pants as one word.) I have been trying to teach Gracie how to say "African Grey Parrot"--but she just says "Grey Parrot" She hasn't said "African"...I wonder if that is because it has three syllables.

 

It could be that the number of syllables required is the underlying factor. It seems language development in greys is very similar to that of human children. First words and two syllables in the first 12 to 24 months and then at ages 3, 4 and onwards multi-syllabics start growing. From what I know of language development (Very little) it is the first step for their brain to decode and "Hear" the syllables contained in a word. At young ages their brain language center simply put just does not pick up and process all the syllables, thus the word is trash canned at that time as non-coherent noise. What is picked up at a young age 1or 2, if a multi-syllabic word is actually used by a child would be truncated for example to "Choc" for Chocolate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its funny you mention multi syllable words. I thought about what Jakes usual words are and the only one with more than 2 syllables is kitty kitty kitty kitty which is said as 1 long word without pause. I call the cat with here kitty kitty kitty kitty. I asked my partner to listen to how I say it and I also make the multiple kitties sound like one word.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Today... was busy cleaning,vacumning family room.Sophie hanging on the gate between kitchen and family room. I opened the gate( Sophie sitting on it as usual), careful to make sure Sophie didn't get caught at the end of the gate, which I do always. She grabbed my finger that latches the gate, started kissing and rubbing my finger.I left my finger there. She grabbed my finger put it in her claw and held on. She loved my finger for several seconds, rubbing her beak against my finger, then said " best friends!" OMG... she has never said that! I tell her that, but she has never said it.I picked her up, gave her a kiss, told her " best friends forever!" Nancy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...