Speech patterns of talking parrots

Date of Event: November 5, 2012

Posted: October 26, 2012

GRANVILLE, Ohio— Parrots are the only nonhuman animals capable of both producing and using speech. Erin Colbert-White, a member of the Denison class of 2007 and a doctoral candidate with the University of Georgia, will discuss this phenomenon in a lecture, “Far from Mimics: Conversational Strategies Used by Speech-Trained African Grey Parrots,” at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 5, in the lecture hall of Denison University’s Burton D. Morgan Center (150 Ridge Road). The lecture, sponsored by the Ronneberg Fund, is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Nestor Matthews at 740-587-5782 or visit www.denison.edu.

While there are comparisons of cognitive abilities between parrots and children, sociolinguistic comparisons between the two are nonexistent. This talk explores a series of studies based on social interactions between African Grey parrots and their human social partners. Evidence for basic sociolinguistic features such as turn-taking, volume modulation, manipulation and social referencing will be discussed within the framework of child language development.

Conrad E. Ronneberg was a professor of chemistry at Denison University. He endowed the Ronneberg Lectureship in 1981 as a means to bring to campus outstanding scientists to lecture on a diverse range of topics. Ronneberg hoped these scientists would have real stature in the intellectual world and that they would increase the students’ appreciation for science.

Calendar Listing:

CALENDAR LISTING, Denison University, Granville— Lecture: “Far from Mimics: Conversational Strategies Used by Speech-Trained African Grey Parrots” by Erin Colbert-White at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 5, in the lecture hall of the Burton D. Morgan Center (150 Ridge Road). Free and open to the public. For more information, contact Nestor Matthews at 740-587-5782 or visit www.denison.edu.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name: Ginny Sharkey
Position Title: Media Relations
Primary Email: sharkeyv@denison.edu
Business Phone: (740) 587-6266

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