能言動物
维基百科,自由的百科全书
能言獸(talking animal)泛指任何能夠說人話的動物。
目录 |
[编辑] 語言能力之模仿
能言獸可指任何能夠模仿人類說話的動物,不論是否理解其意義。最出名的例子是鸚鵡,它們可以在經常接觸或人為訓練之下發出人類的語言。八哥是另一種常見、擅於模仿的鳥類。
Irene Pepperberg博士的研究指出,鸚鵡能夠有前後邏輯地說話,並且能表達其企圖含意。Pepperberg的灰鸚亞力克斯(Alex)甚至能夠將字母組合成單字--也就是能夠讀和念。
大部份能說話的生物都是鳥類,但是New England Aquarium有一隻名叫Hoover的麻斑海豹(harbor seal),能夠重複他常聽到的一些詞語,包括他的名字。
[编辑] 動物的語言
To take this literally, this would refer to certain species or groups of animals which have a pronounced way of vocal communication, hence having the ability to conduct speech between its members with an understanding of what they are communicating. Although such a prospect may seem unlikely to many, certain more intelligent animals, such as the dolphin and the ape, have shown to make sounds at each other with a marked repetition in vocal patterns, which strongly suggests that they are indeed communicating with each other using their own language. This is widely discussed and investigated.
Some researchers use American Sign Language to try to communicate with animals that have difficulty with speech, such as Koko the gorilla. As with vocal speech, however, some skeptics consider the results to be another form of mimickry and not true communication.
[编辑] 虛構故事中的能言獸
Talking animals are a common theme in fiction, especially in mythology and folk tales. Fictional talking animals often are anthropomorphic, possessing human-like qualities but appearing as an animal. The usage of talking animals enable storytellers to combine the basic characteristics of the animal with human behaviour: for example in the Three Little Pigs, the supposed animal rapacity of the wolf is shown through its repeated tricking of the three pigs. Other examples include Little Red Riding Hood and the Bremen Town Musicians.
The storyteller may use talking animals for various reasons. It could be intended for a younger audience (such as Richard Scarry's illustrated books), or as a metaphor to show the personality of certain men or groups (Art Spiegelman's Maus depicts Jews as mice, the Germans as cats and the Poles as pigs, among others). There may also be other reasons, such as for the sake of satire in Animal Farm, or artistic purposes.
Fictional talking animals may be roughly classified into the following categories, depending on the degree how talk influences their behavior. Of course, many cases may be something in between; the classification below is only a frame of reference.