A podcast that's enthusiastic about linguistics! By @gretchenmcculloch.com and @superlinguo.bsky.social
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@lingthusiasm.com PinnedCan we teach dogs to express their needs better by pressing buttons? How about bonobos? What have we learned from the first-ever recording of a sperm whale birth? In this episode we get enthusiastic about how people use technology to enhance our communication with these three animals!
soundcloud.com118: Using tech to chat with bonobos, dogs, and whalesCan we teach dogs to express their needs better by pressing buttons? What about the studies trying to teach bonobos and other primates to communicate through buttons or signs? What have we learned abo
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![Perceiving sorts differing pronunciations into this-or-that categories that are specific to each language.
[Under âdiffering pronunciations,â there are six circles. On the left, the circle is solid dark gray. On the right, the circle is solid light gray. In between, the dark gray splits into spots, and the light gray splits into stripes. In the middle circles, there is a bit of both light stripes and dark spots. Under the circles are the words âbitâ (dark gray circle), âspitâ (mixed circle), and âpitâ (light gray circle), with the âbâs and âpâs highlighted. Under âthis-or-that categoriesâ are six solid dark gray and light gray squares. A large B is by the leftmost dark gray square; a large P is by the rightmost light gray square]
We call these sound categories âphonemes.â They combine into words.
[To the left of the text is a triangle with rounded edges. A series of lines and dots create a continuum of shapes in 4 bands: dark gray, light gray, white, lightest gray. On the left side of the triangle is a series of dark gray diagonal lines. Next to them are lighter gray lines which tilt progressively until theyâre horizontal lines. Then, they split off and become sparser. Next to that are even lighter gray dots. To the right of that is a triangle with straight sides and sharp corners. This triangle has solid colored lines corresponding to the pattern in the rounded triangle.]
[A diagram shows a square and sharp-sided triangle, labeled âCategoryâ, above a circle and rounded triangle, labeled âSpecific Pronunciation.â An arrow pointing up from the round shapes to the straight-sided shapes is labeled âbottom-upâ; an arrow on the other side pointing down is labeled âtop-downâ.]
These categories exist only in our mindsâat a âhigher,â more abstract level than actual speech. Stuff we know about our world at this higher levelâeven if we donât know we know itâcan have âtop-downâ impacts on perception.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_fullsize/plain/did:plc:liba4kwcbq2y7o5aq6ar7yse/bafkreibbitoegu6uxekkp2d5sxnokquavp42hdl62aj4mbnc3kfhskzsb4@jpeg)
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