Nothing against this perfectly nice gorilla, who absolutely did not "master" any kind of language.
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Thursday, 21 June 2018 20:02 (five years ago) link
The tweet is bullshit
She may have signed 'cat' but there is no evidence she ever stitched together a sentence in ASL.
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Thursday, 21 June 2018 20:04 (five years ago) link
Yeah, yeah, intelligence on the wrong end of the telescope and all that, but to the lay readers of press about Koko, “language” means “being able to communicate in a human like medium” and she certainly did that. Two year olds have little grammar at first but their parents don’t stand back and say “well it’s not actually language.” The value of Koko is to publicise the notion that other species may have cognition and understanding. Which is demonstrably true.
― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Thursday, 21 June 2018 20:15 (five years ago) link
I am beginning to suspect a gorilla used sign language to lure mfktz into an alley for unsavory purposes. Thus, pity not scorn is the correct response here.
― grawlix (unperson), Thursday, 21 June 2018 20:21 (five years ago) link
lol
― tired culché (darraghmac), Thursday, 21 June 2018 20:22 (five years ago) link
A forty year experiment to see if gorillas can acquire language had the same overwhelming result that every other experiment of its sort has had, that animals cannot acquire language, but nobody wants to accept this, it's too appealing to imagine they can. Nobody is talking about whether gorillas have "cognition" - not sure there is even a good working definition of what that means. How about we don't judge animals by our own standards, they aren't any worse than humans for not having language. "Language" does have a very specific meaning, and it's ridiculous how people who respect science in other areas seem to think they intuitively understand linguistics when they apparently know nothing about it.
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Thursday, 21 June 2018 20:31 (five years ago) link
would you be mine, could you be mine? wuhhhhf wuhhhhf
― the ignatius rock of ignorance (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 21 June 2018 20:34 (five years ago) link
There is a huge body of evidence on language acquisition and most two year olds already know word order, something gorillas never pick up simply because their brains are not wired that way.
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Thursday, 21 June 2018 20:34 (five years ago) link
stop shit talking Koko
― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Thursday, 21 June 2018 20:38 (five years ago) link
Just do a mental replace of “sign language” with “a limited number of signs for common nouns and verbs” and calm down. Nobody’s suggesting we redefine the term “language”, that’s just what most people understand by the term, it’s not the springboard for an academic discourse. Imagine how it feels to be a neuroscientist and read daily about “your amazing brain - and you only use 10%!” (Albert Einstein / Bob Marley)
― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Thursday, 21 June 2018 20:39 (five years ago) link
She learned signs and took care of All Ball and communicated in some way which is amazing regardless of whether or not she mastered anything.
― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Thursday, 21 June 2018 20:40 (five years ago) link
x-post - lol! Seriously though, exactly what MatthewK said.
koko har dan arts degree tbf but
― tired culché (darraghmac), Thursday, 21 June 2018 20:43 (five years ago) link
my langwage also real godd
― tired culché (darraghmac), Thursday, 21 June 2018 20:44 (five years ago) link
― an incoherent crustacean (MatthewK), Thursday, June 21, 2018 9:39 PM (nine minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
How about you imagine you're a neuroscientist and not only is “your amazing brain - and you only use 10%!” the only coverage you ever get about your discipline in any media, but when you complain about this to apparently intelligent, educated people you get told to "calm down" and "that's just what most people understand by the term 'brain'"
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Thursday, 21 June 2018 20:54 (five years ago) link
let's just agree Koko could've been in the current Cabinet
― the ignatius rock of ignorance (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 21 June 2018 20:56 (five years ago) link
she wasn’t mean enough
― maura, Thursday, 21 June 2018 20:57 (five years ago) link
and possibly too smart
rather, been the shining star of same xxp
― the ignatius rock of ignorance (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 21 June 2018 20:57 (five years ago) link
If I were a neuroscientist I would never expect the general public to have the level of knowledge that I did about my chosen area of expertise and I certainly wouldn't get bent out of shape over it in the wake of a beloved animal's death.
― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Thursday, 21 June 2018 20:59 (five years ago) link
also maura otm x2
hmm after weighing all the perspectives here i'm going to say that koko definitely understood languages and could talk in complete sentences that communicated complex thoughts
― na (NA), Thursday, 21 June 2018 21:06 (five years ago) link
― flappy bird, Thursday, 21 June 2018 21:09 (five years ago) link
Obituary thread took a weird turn.
― womp womp that sucker (Tom D.), Thursday, 21 June 2018 21:10 (five years ago) link
was gonna say
― noel gallaghah's high flying burbbhrbhbbhbburbbb (Doctor Casino), Thursday, 21 June 2018 21:20 (five years ago) link
this should be a new tradition, we should assess each dead celebrity's capacity for language
― na (NA), Thursday, 21 June 2018 21:25 (five years ago) link
hahaha
― a shomin-geki poster with some horror elements (WilliamC), Thursday, 21 June 2018 21:26 (five years ago) link
feel like trump's RIP thread is going to be a tough one to sort out on that front
― noel gallaghah's high flying burbbhrbhbbhbburbbb (Doctor Casino), Thursday, 21 June 2018 21:28 (five years ago) link
t/s: koko vs harambe
― topless from 11am (bizarro gazzara), Thursday, 21 June 2018 21:32 (five years ago) link
no
― maura, Thursday, 21 June 2018 21:40 (five years ago) link
It's kind of a blessing that Koko went to her grave unable to understand the prescriptivists smugly signing at her about how shitty her grasp of ASL was.
― Rep. Bob Excellentfrappuccino (Old Lunch), Thursday, 21 June 2018 21:50 (five years ago) link
CaAL otm tho
― valorous wokelord (silby), Thursday, 21 June 2018 21:54 (five years ago) link
its winehouse all over again you vold hearted bastards
― tired culché (darraghmac), Thursday, 21 June 2018 21:55 (five years ago) link
fuck this phone tho
Some Vold-hearted Snapes up itt.
― Rep. Bob Excellentfrappuccino (Old Lunch), Thursday, 21 June 2018 21:56 (five years ago) link
Does that mean meanies who are dead inside because if so then otm.
― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Thursday, 21 June 2018 22:01 (five years ago) link
Idk I think great apes are cool regardless.
― valorous wokelord (silby), Thursday, 21 June 2018 22:02 (five years ago) link
https://media.signbsl.com/videos/bsl/corpusngt/mp4/vlc-record-2015-04-08-14h24m56s-BSL_CN_lex_b.mpg-.mp4
― Leaghaidh am brón an t-anam bochd (dowd), Thursday, 21 June 2018 22:02 (five years ago) link
They are very cool!
― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Thursday, 21 June 2018 22:03 (five years ago) link
I'm going to make sure to buy a little extra column space for my obit on the offchance that anyone feels the need to 'well, actually' any of the claims made about me.
― Rep. Bob Excellentfrappuccino (Old Lunch), Thursday, 21 June 2018 22:07 (five years ago) link
Some sad news: Charles Krauthammer has died. Our obit is coming soon.— Paul Farhi (@farhip) June 21, 2018
― mookieproof, Thursday, 21 June 2018 22:07 (five years ago) link
Sad for whom?
― grawlix (unperson), Thursday, 21 June 2018 22:07 (five years ago) link
couldn't even sign in gorilla the cunt
― tired culché (darraghmac), Thursday, 21 June 2018 22:19 (five years ago) link
RIP Charles Krauthammer. You looked like you gave missions in GTA IV and died just now— Dan O'Sullivan (@Bro_Pair) June 21, 2018
― Glower, Disruption & Pies (kingfish), Friday, 22 June 2018 00:50 (five years ago) link
Farewell to a subtle mind, inquisitive spirit, and boundless imagination.
― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 22 June 2018 01:18 (five years ago) link
exclusive ILX footage of CK's last moments
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_WEvWcVoFw
― the ignatius rock of ignorance (Dr Morbius), Friday, 22 June 2018 01:57 (five years ago) link
True, Koko learned to play the recorder, but she never learned *not* to play the recorder.— Waldo Jaquith (@waldojaquith) June 22, 2018
― flappy bird, Friday, 22 June 2018 05:09 (five years ago) link
RIP Koko.
― womp womp that sucker (Tom D.), Friday, 22 June 2018 10:03 (five years ago) link
you wouldn't have used that eulogy for a human if you'd have seen them throwing a turd at someone, double standards for these apes you see!
― calzino, Friday, 22 June 2018 10:14 (five years ago) link