Training with English

[Huginn]

Hello all,

My African grey is my first parrot and proxied son whom I love to death and would do anything for. He is one year and almost three months old.

He does not speak a lick of English or any other human-based language that I have tried to teach him. I understand that some Parrots will simply never talk and while I admit, I did not know that when I purchased him, I have no regrets and I love him no matter what. The question I have is, how do parrots learn pronunciation? 

Here is what he knows:

1. When he is okay, or just saying hello, instead of saying  Heh-low, hey goes "Ooh Ooh", and I to return the same phrase. He is happy to copy me when I do it. The closest I have gotten to hello was "Eeh Ohh" as he seemed to have been struggling with the H and l sounds.

2. While hello was the primary objective, he has in the process, made other sounds that we seem to both recognize as his own form of language, when he wants my attention he makes a sound, when he wants to be pet he makes another sound, when he wants to go somewhere, body language. When he is uncomfortable or anxious he makes a specific sound before the squeeling you may find in really  bad siutations like the vet etc.

 

** He is happy to copy me, especially when I sing to him, and the "click click click click" sound he makes, when hes not making it, ill do it and he will immediately copy it verbatim. He does not fancy treats but he does enjoy a good head/ neck scratch. 

So how might I get him to use english words or phrases? 

[judygram]

He will repeat english words and phrases if that is what he is hearing from you but it is still early in the game for him to be saying a whole lot so give him time. They will practice a lot with sounds and he is learning how to make the sounds he hears so if he is going to be a talker then he will, be patient.

[Huginn]

8 minutes ago, judygram said:

He will repeat english words and phrases if that is what he is hearing from you but it is still early in the game for him to be saying a whole lot so give him time. They will practice a lot with sounds and he is learning how to make the sounds he hears so if he is going to be a talker then he will, be patient.

The reason I ask is because he really, and I mean REALLY, likes to tell me how hes doing, when he wants to go for some exercise, get-up, get pet, go on my shoulder, from combined body language and vast variety of sound. I believe him to be a talker, able to understand many phrases I say to him, but not yet able to respond due to the difficulty of human-based language. Also -- Yes, I am patient, he can take as long as he wants, I just want him to be happy and feel he can connect with me on an even greater level than now. I was told that most African Greys who are talkers speak their first word by their first year, and if not then they are probably not a talker. Is this untrue? 

[Greytness]

2 of my CAGS didn't start saying any words until they were 1 years old. Your grey is still very young. Give him time and he'll be saying words and phrases for you. There are some greys that never talk.