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Monkeys With Syntax

Posted by kdawson on from the there's-a-word-for-that dept.

jamie writes "The Campbell's monkey has a vocabulary with at least six types of basic call, but new research published in the PNAS claims that they combine them and string them together to communicate new meanings. (Login may be required on the NY Times site.) For example, the word for 'leopard' gets an '-oo' suffix to mean 'unseen predator.' But when that word is repeated after 'come over here,' the combination means 'Timber!' — a warning of falling trees. Scientists have known for some time that vervet monkeys have different warning calls for different predators — eagle, leopard, and snake — but unlike the Campbell's monkeys, vervets don't combine those calls to create new meanings, a key component of syntax. The researchers plan to play back recordings to the monkeys to test their theories for syntax errors."

24 of 197 comments (clear)

  1. It was the blurst of times. by gandhi_2 · · Score: 4, Funny

    FP!

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    1. Re:It was the blurst of times. by Vombatus · · Score: 5, Funny

      Get enough of them together and it will be like watching a Shakespeare play

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    2. Re:It was the blurst of times. by JustOK · · Score: 3, Funny

      It's already better than Reality TV.

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      rewriting history since 2109
    3. Re:It was the blurst of times. by GNUALMAFUERTE · · Score: 4, Funny

      On another note, the scientists have confirmed that they can pronounce the words "internet" and "nuclear" correctly.

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    4. Re:It was the blurst of times. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      that's nice, you would expect a scientist to be able to pronounce "internet" and "nuclear" correctly.

  2. Monkey syntax errors aren't so bad by istartedi · · Score: 5, Funny

    But when they throw "exceptions", look out!

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    1. Re:Monkey syntax errors aren't so bad by norpy · · Score: 2, Funny

      throw new ClumpOfPooException();

    2. Re:Monkey syntax errors aren't so bad by Cryacin · · Score: 5, Funny

      I pity the object that catches that.

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      Science advances one funeral at a time- Max Planck
    3. Re:Monkey syntax errors aren't so bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Nobody will catch it. It'll just lead to a gigantic core dump.

    4. Re:Monkey syntax errors aren't so bad by von_rick · · Score: 5, Funny

      Monkeys have an amazing ability to fling core dumps.

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  3. Monkey version of Timber by Kebis · · Score: 5, Funny

    The monkey version of "Timber!" is “Boom boom krak-oo krak-oo krak-oo". So, in monkey it's 8 sylables, and in English it's 2. No wonder humans became the dominant species, we had more time to get out of the way after the falling tree warning.

    1. Re:Monkey version of Timber by koxkoxkox · · Score: 5, Funny

      "If English was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for Texas"

  4. PNAS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Haha, they said PNAS.

  5. You are hereby notified by paiute · · Score: 4, Funny

    The monkeys' lawyers just served papers on the researchers for copyright violations and the making of unauthorized reproductions of the primates' intellectual property. Spokesape Lance Link said "The researchers have submitted my clients' calls to several funding agencies. This is clearly intent to distribute my clients' intellectual properties, and we will therefore be seeking compensatory and punitive damages of one billion bananas for each call infringed upon."

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  6. Careful by PPH · · Score: 5, Funny

    Violate Strunk and White just once and they'll fling shit at you.

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  7. Re:Syntax errors? by h4rr4r · · Score: 1, Funny

    No, as is already clear to users of superior text editors, vi & vim, Emacs is always in monkey mode.

  8. Ok, and then we can... by FatdogHaiku · · Score: 4, Funny

    The researchers plan to play back recordings to the monkeys to test their theories for syntax errors.

    Create a very long string of recordings of unrelated calls and play them back to check for buffer overflow errors...

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    1. Re:Ok, and then we can... by ArsenneLupin · · Score: 1, Funny

      ... but when you do, at least use a condom. We don't need AIDS 2.0

  9. Re:This is what linguists have been waiting for by HeronBlademaster · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hey, that's my luggage combination!

  10. Vicious circle by A+nonymous+Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    That's how it began!

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    Infuriate left and right
  11. Measurable results by Pike · · Score: 2, Funny

    I guess they'll know they had a "syntax error" if the monkey fails to understand the warning and gets killed by the falling tree.

  12. Re:I second that... by dziban303 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Okay, okay, you're both linguists. But are you cunning?

  13. Re:Monkeys with syntax by ColdWetDog · · Score: 4, Funny

    Interesting... Except for the syntax thing, you'd have Slashdot editors.

    Monkey see, Monkey dupe?

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  14. Re:This is what linguists have been waiting for by mestar · · Score: 3, Funny
    You have have 1 trillion different words in a language

    Yet you keep using the same one.