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| ParrotSpeech.com The home of the pioneering talking macaw called Arielle |
Originally, I hadn't intended to perform speech research with a parrot. Arielle
was the motivating force behind my interest in interspecies communication with
a talking bird. It was Arielle's early ability, to comprehend English words, that
started my quest to understand how she learned to use words correctly in new
situations; she exhibited her ability to apply words correctly, even though she
had received no instruction for the particular expression.
The articles on this page are edited from my manuscript for a yet-to-be-
published book about our first six years together, tentatively titled Arielle: A
Macaw's Diary. This is one of two manuscripts I have written dealing
with free speech by a talking bird. The text traces experiences Arielle and I
shared outdoors over our first six years together. Five chapters deal principally
with speech and provide the details for 100 instances of purposeful speech by
Arielle. Other chapters relate how Arielle came to live with me, relate some of
her unusual behaviors, and tell about Arielle's interaction with other people.
I've been involved with Arielle and her use of the English language for
eighteen years. During the time, I've learned a great amount from her about
the ability of talking birds to understand and to use human language correctly.
There isn't sufficient space here to go into all the details, but with support from
my family, I continue to write about my experiences. For more information about
the book, Another Kind of Mind: A Talking Bird Masters English, click on the
link.
Readers' comments concerning these articles and the other reports posted at
this site are welcomed. I look forward to suggestions for improvement by
bird-lovers, parrot owners, people interested in interspecies communication,
scientists, or any one interested in living closely with a parrot-like bird.
was the motivating force behind my interest in interspecies communication with
a talking bird. It was Arielle's early ability, to comprehend English words, that
started my quest to understand how she learned to use words correctly in new
situations; she exhibited her ability to apply words correctly, even though she
had received no instruction for the particular expression.
The articles on this page are edited from my manuscript for a yet-to-be-
published book about our first six years together, tentatively titled Arielle: A
Macaw's Diary. This is one of two manuscripts I have written dealing
with free speech by a talking bird. The text traces experiences Arielle and I
shared outdoors over our first six years together. Five chapters deal principally
with speech and provide the details for 100 instances of purposeful speech by
Arielle. Other chapters relate how Arielle came to live with me, relate some of
her unusual behaviors, and tell about Arielle's interaction with other people.
I've been involved with Arielle and her use of the English language for
eighteen years. During the time, I've learned a great amount from her about
the ability of talking birds to understand and to use human language correctly.
There isn't sufficient space here to go into all the details, but with support from
my family, I continue to write about my experiences. For more information about
the book, Another Kind of Mind: A Talking Bird Masters English, click on the
link.
Readers' comments concerning these articles and the other reports posted at
this site are welcomed. I look forward to suggestions for improvement by
bird-lovers, parrot owners, people interested in interspecies communication,
scientists, or any one interested in living closely with a parrot-like bird.
You are here:
Macaw Speech
Macaw Speech
On occasion, Arielle gets herself
into precarious situations, as is
illustrated in the story below:
"Rescued from a tree."
In this photograph, Arielle plays
by hanging upside down while
exploring the grapefruit tree in our
yard. At a distance, her coloring
affords camouflage as she romps
among the leaves of the tree with
similar hue.
into precarious situations, as is
illustrated in the story below:
"Rescued from a tree."
In this photograph, Arielle plays
by hanging upside down while
exploring the grapefruit tree in our
yard. At a distance, her coloring
affords camouflage as she romps
among the leaves of the tree with
similar hue.
| To listen to Arielle speak, click play. If, after hearing her speech, you can't determine what Arielle said, the transcription is in a yellow box near the bottom of this page. |
GOBLIN
During our customary walk this evening,
Arielle said a distorted two-syllable
word, one that I did not immediately
comprehend. After her comment, I
stopped to inspect the area. As we
walked, I made a mental note of the
Halloween decorations, hanging in the
nearby trees, swaying in the wind.
As we continued walking, the word
that fit her utterance, "goblin," came
to mind after considerable thought.
How had she learned to relate the
ornamentation to that word?
Arielle has seen Halloween trolls
previously in the neighborhood. When
"Trick or Treaters" arrive at our
home, I allow the birds to observe the
colorful costumes worn by little "kids,"
several of whom aren't as tall as
Arielle is long. A bird can observe
visitors from a T-stand near the front
door, or sometimes Arielle greets guests
at our door while perched upon my
shoulder. Parties on both sides of the
entrance act startled!
Many neighborhood children know
Arielle from our walks through the
neighborhood, from seeing her at the
playground, or from visiting our home
on Halloween. The children are
delighted to see Arielle, to greet her,
and to receive their Halloween candy.
Parrots in the house initially had great
trepidation concerning the scary
characters that rang our doorbell. To
allay her fear, I told her, "Okay. No
hurt!" and that the ghostly visitors were
goblins. I described outdoor decorations
with the label goblin as well, so that is
how Arielle learned to say goblin.
As we continue living together, I am
learning that Arielle has the ability
to discriminate objects, to remember
objects, to provide the correct label
for things, and to investigate and to
control mechanical things. She is
highly aware, and she progresses at
learning concepts, in a child-like way,
with or without formal lessons.
Two things perplex me. First is the
length of time between when she
learns a word and when she employs it.
Second is the vast quantity of words and
phrases that she remembers. When I
listen to her expressions as she
practices, the large number of phrases
she can recall delights me. Sometimes
the hundreds of utterances she speaks
during a vocalizing session is
overwhelming and fatiguing. In the
future, I plan to make tape recordings
of her speech in order to preserve some
of her monologue. Since Arielle is not a
performing bird, tape recordings could
be used to demonstrate her vocal talents
at schools. {28 Oct 1996}
© 2003 by Michael Dalton
During our customary walk this evening,
Arielle said a distorted two-syllable
word, one that I did not immediately
comprehend. After her comment, I
stopped to inspect the area. As we
walked, I made a mental note of the
Halloween decorations, hanging in the
nearby trees, swaying in the wind.
As we continued walking, the word
that fit her utterance, "goblin," came
to mind after considerable thought.
How had she learned to relate the
ornamentation to that word?
Arielle has seen Halloween trolls
previously in the neighborhood. When
"Trick or Treaters" arrive at our
home, I allow the birds to observe the
colorful costumes worn by little "kids,"
several of whom aren't as tall as
Arielle is long. A bird can observe
visitors from a T-stand near the front
door, or sometimes Arielle greets guests
at our door while perched upon my
shoulder. Parties on both sides of the
entrance act startled!
Many neighborhood children know
Arielle from our walks through the
neighborhood, from seeing her at the
playground, or from visiting our home
on Halloween. The children are
delighted to see Arielle, to greet her,
and to receive their Halloween candy.
Parrots in the house initially had great
trepidation concerning the scary
characters that rang our doorbell. To
allay her fear, I told her, "Okay. No
hurt!" and that the ghostly visitors were
goblins. I described outdoor decorations
with the label goblin as well, so that is
how Arielle learned to say goblin.
As we continue living together, I am
learning that Arielle has the ability
to discriminate objects, to remember
objects, to provide the correct label
for things, and to investigate and to
control mechanical things. She is
highly aware, and she progresses at
learning concepts, in a child-like way,
with or without formal lessons.
Two things perplex me. First is the
length of time between when she
learns a word and when she employs it.
Second is the vast quantity of words and
phrases that she remembers. When I
listen to her expressions as she
practices, the large number of phrases
she can recall delights me. Sometimes
the hundreds of utterances she speaks
during a vocalizing session is
overwhelming and fatiguing. In the
future, I plan to make tape recordings
of her speech in order to preserve some
of her monologue. Since Arielle is not a
performing bird, tape recordings could
be used to demonstrate her vocal talents
at schools. {28 Oct 1996}
© 2003 by Michael Dalton
RESCUED FROM A TREE
Arielle and I were visiting a local park; we had walked
three-quarters of the footpath encircling the lake. A large
bird spooked Arielle, and she jumped from my shoulder
and flew into the wind. Her flight took her away from me
over a portion of the water and back toward some tall
trees; as she flew, nearby shrubs and trees farther away
blocked my line of sight. I ran and searched several blocks
adjacent to the park because Arielle had achieved
considerable altitude as she flew. Many minutes later, a
man approached and showed me where Arielle was
perched. I had overestimated how far she had flown,
probably because my flustered mind was not thinking
clearly. Against the green needles of a pine tree, my
macaw blended in well enough that it was not obvious
where she was, unless one was looking directly at her.
She had landed on a tree branch more than 30 feet above
ground. I called home from a house adjacent to the park
and asked my wife, Pat, to bring my rescue kit to retrieve
Arielle from the tree. Pat arrived with my long pole, a
T-bar perch that I had built, rope, and other paraphernalia.
The pole extended to 20 feet and, with a T-perch attached
the total length was about two feet longer. Held at arm's
length above my head, I could reach greater than 30 feet
above the ground. Thirty feet was not high enough.
The man who helped me suggested that I could use a
table to secure additional height. I improvised a four-foot
ladder by upturning an easily moved wire trash container
and stood on it. Reaching upwards upon tiptoes, I could
hoist the bar of the T-perch level with the branch upon
which Arielle stood.
I strained to lift and counter the torque exerted by the
pole as I held it above my head. A group of bystanders
gathered to watch, as I guided the quivering pole amongst
the branches of the tree. The trash barrel swayed under
my weight frustrating my ability to control the rescue
device. It was challenging to control the motion as a
small movement near the fulcrum caused a much larger
one at the end of the fully-extended pole. My support was
imprecisely positioned under Arielle's position. The
misalignment required that I hold the long pole off
vertical, and most of the weight was well above my head. It
was exerting work and perspiration dripped from my head.
I extended my arms upward at an angle and strained my
wrists to apply sufficient torque to manipulate the elevated
T-perch. After nearly stepping off the edge of the trash
bin, I gyrated the apparatus in front of my bird briefly.
The pole oscillated uncontrollably. I released the
contraption and repositioned it for another rescue attempt.
Training a bird does pay off. With my heart racing and the
sound of my pulse in my ears, I commanded Arielle to step
upon the T-perch. "UP!" I shouted in the calmest
sounding, most businesslike, voice I could muster. Arielle
raised her leg; she was going to step onto the perch.
As soon as she mounted the perch, I guided the pole away
from the limb upon which she perched and out of grabbing
range of other branches. With a wrist wrenching motion, I
slowly lowered the pole to bring my bird closer. In a few
seconds, I removed her from the T-bar and she returned to
her normal position on my shoulder. As I jumped from the
makeshift ladder to the ground, I scolded Arielle. The next
morning I trimmed her flight feathers shorter to prevent a
repetition of the previous day's flight. (September 1997)
P.S.: I recommend that beginning parrot owners use a
tether if they want to take their birds outside. Only a
disciplined parrot owner, who has practiced walking with
and rescuing his bird outdoors, should attempt to handle an
unrestrained parrot outside. ( I have test flown and filmed
Arielle in flight several times. On this occasion, she took
an unauthorized flight because I neglected to consider the
wind and to check her flight feathers.)
© 2003 by Michael Dalton
Arielle and I were visiting a local park; we had walked
three-quarters of the footpath encircling the lake. A large
bird spooked Arielle, and she jumped from my shoulder
and flew into the wind. Her flight took her away from me
over a portion of the water and back toward some tall
trees; as she flew, nearby shrubs and trees farther away
blocked my line of sight. I ran and searched several blocks
adjacent to the park because Arielle had achieved
considerable altitude as she flew. Many minutes later, a
man approached and showed me where Arielle was
perched. I had overestimated how far she had flown,
probably because my flustered mind was not thinking
clearly. Against the green needles of a pine tree, my
macaw blended in well enough that it was not obvious
where she was, unless one was looking directly at her.
She had landed on a tree branch more than 30 feet above
ground. I called home from a house adjacent to the park
and asked my wife, Pat, to bring my rescue kit to retrieve
Arielle from the tree. Pat arrived with my long pole, a
T-bar perch that I had built, rope, and other paraphernalia.
The pole extended to 20 feet and, with a T-perch attached
the total length was about two feet longer. Held at arm's
length above my head, I could reach greater than 30 feet
above the ground. Thirty feet was not high enough.
The man who helped me suggested that I could use a
table to secure additional height. I improvised a four-foot
ladder by upturning an easily moved wire trash container
and stood on it. Reaching upwards upon tiptoes, I could
hoist the bar of the T-perch level with the branch upon
which Arielle stood.
I strained to lift and counter the torque exerted by the
pole as I held it above my head. A group of bystanders
gathered to watch, as I guided the quivering pole amongst
the branches of the tree. The trash barrel swayed under
my weight frustrating my ability to control the rescue
device. It was challenging to control the motion as a
small movement near the fulcrum caused a much larger
one at the end of the fully-extended pole. My support was
imprecisely positioned under Arielle's position. The
misalignment required that I hold the long pole off
vertical, and most of the weight was well above my head. It
was exerting work and perspiration dripped from my head.
I extended my arms upward at an angle and strained my
wrists to apply sufficient torque to manipulate the elevated
T-perch. After nearly stepping off the edge of the trash
bin, I gyrated the apparatus in front of my bird briefly.
The pole oscillated uncontrollably. I released the
contraption and repositioned it for another rescue attempt.
Training a bird does pay off. With my heart racing and the
sound of my pulse in my ears, I commanded Arielle to step
upon the T-perch. "UP!" I shouted in the calmest
sounding, most businesslike, voice I could muster. Arielle
raised her leg; she was going to step onto the perch.
As soon as she mounted the perch, I guided the pole away
from the limb upon which she perched and out of grabbing
range of other branches. With a wrist wrenching motion, I
slowly lowered the pole to bring my bird closer. In a few
seconds, I removed her from the T-bar and she returned to
her normal position on my shoulder. As I jumped from the
makeshift ladder to the ground, I scolded Arielle. The next
morning I trimmed her flight feathers shorter to prevent a
repetition of the previous day's flight. (September 1997)
P.S.: I recommend that beginning parrot owners use a
tether if they want to take their birds outside. Only a
disciplined parrot owner, who has practiced walking with
and rescuing his bird outdoors, should attempt to handle an
unrestrained parrot outside. ( I have test flown and filmed
Arielle in flight several times. On this occasion, she took
an unauthorized flight because I neglected to consider the
wind and to check her flight feathers.)
© 2003 by Michael Dalton
© Michael Dalton
| Arielle spoke in two voices. In the first part of her utterance, she employed a low-frequency voice saying, "You're rotten." After a brief pause, she adds, "I know," which is spoken in a humorous sounding voice. A peculiar tone in her voice gives away what would have been a smirk on her face, if she were a human being, while making the teasing comment. |
| Arielle understands speech and speaks thoughtfully using English words, phrases, and sentences. |