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Linguistics Assignment: Animal Language

Washoe was a female common chimpanzee who learned American Sign Language as part of a research experiment on animal language acquisition. She learned approximately 350 signs of ASL at the University of Nevada, Reno over three and a half years of training. Sara was taught to use plastic shapes (represented 'words') that could be arranged in sequences to build 'sentences' and was able to demonstrate comprehension by selecting the correct shape when prompted. Lana was trained using an artificial language called 'Yerkish' that consisted of made up words and she demonstrated the ability to use displacement by combining words.

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82 views3 pages

Linguistics Assignment: Animal Language

Washoe was a female common chimpanzee who learned American Sign Language as part of a research experiment on animal language acquisition. She learned approximately 350 signs of ASL at the University of Nevada, Reno over three and a half years of training. Sara was taught to use plastic shapes (represented 'words') that could be arranged in sequences to build 'sentences' and was able to demonstrate comprehension by selecting the correct shape when prompted. Lana was trained using an artificial language called 'Yerkish' that consisted of made up words and she demonstrated the ability to use displacement by combining words.

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licibeth
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LINGUISTICS
CORPORACIÓN UNIVERSITARIA MINUTO DE DIOS
LICENCIATURA EN LENGUAS EXTRANJERAS CON ENFASIS EN INGLÉS

2. Properties of languages.
FIRTS TERM.
Assignment No 04

Name: ______________________________________________________________ID_______________________Date_________________

ANIMAL LANGUAGE

1. According to the reading complete the following diagram


writing the definitions

Using your own words and according to the reading, complete the chart with the definitions for each
property of language

Language Property
Displacement

Arbitrariness

Productivity
Definition
Assignment No 04

Cultural transition

Duality

3. Chimpanzees and language. Read about experiment with animals and complete the texts.
a. Read about the Washoe experiment an complete the text using the phases in the box.

Washoe
Washoe was a female ___________________ who was the first non-human to learn to
communicate using  _______________as part of a _____________
on _______________________ Washoe learned approximately 350 signs of ASL. She
also taught her adopted son Loulis some signs. In 1967, ________
and ______________ established a project to teach Washoe ASL at the University of
Nevada, Reno. After a period of ________ Washoe could communicate and use
approximately 350 words of sign language information. Washoe also was able to have
basic _______. He also could create new words by grouping two exited words, for
example swan was the combination of ______ and _____.
Born September 1965
West Africa Conversations
Research experiment 
Died October 30, 2007
American Sign Language
(aged 42)
Central Washington animal language acquisition.
University
Common chimpanzee 
Known f Use ofsignlanguage
or
Three and a half years

b. Sarah and Lana: according to the reading, complete the information:

 Sara was taught to use __________________ (represented


‘words’ and could be arranged in sequence to build
‘sentences’)
 She was systematically trained to associate these
______________ with objects or ______________.
 She was capable of ________________ by selecting the correct
plastic shape (a blue triangle)
 She was also able to -
_______________________________________
Assignment No 04
_________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

 Lana was trained usingartificial language called _________________


 Yerkish consisted of __________________________________________________________________________
 Sara & Lana demonstrated an ability to use _______________________________________________________

4. According to the reading, answer these questions:


a. How was demonstrated that Washoe provided an evidence of creativity?
b. In Sarah’s vocabulary, the color “red” was representing by a grey plastic shape. If Sarah could use this
plastic shape to convey the meaning “red” , which property does her language have?
c. What was considered to be the key element in Kanzi’s language learning?

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