Do African Grey Parrots Understand What They Are Saying and Use Grammatically Co

1. 83

   Aya Katzposted 14 years ago

   Do African Grey Parrots Understand What They Are Saying and Use Grammatically Correct Speech?
   
   I understand that you have an African Grey parrot who speaks. Does he just repeat words and phrases, or does he say things spontaneously in context? How is his grammar?

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2. 83

   Aya Katzposted 14 years ago

   Jack Holmes, do you have personal experience with African Greys? I was addressing this questions specifically to a Hubber who has one: Dawn Tate.

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3. 60

   caninecrtiticsposted 14 years ago

   They do understand to a certain point because I have seen some answer with correct responds to a question in multiple occasions they have the mind of a 3-4 year old and last time I check toddlers can understand some what of what they are saying.

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4. 60

   Dawn Tateposted 14 years ago

   I'm not an expert on any type of bird.  I'm simply an owner and cannot give you a scientific or proven approach to whether or not African Grey's can actually understand what they are saying. 
   
   In my experience with Gracie, I see she mimics a lot of what we say.  She understands basic commands and is stubborn from time to time as to whether she'll actually follow the command, i.e. the "step-up" command is followed most of the time except when she's on top of her cage (we try not to let her perch higher than our heads) or if she simply doesn't feel like it.  She hasn't (so far since she's not 2 yet) exhibited any intelligence to actually comprehend what she's saying.
   
   I have to say, though, she surprises my husband and I on occasion.  Pebble, the Senegal, fell off his perch the other day (he's still getting his sea legs) and Gracie promptly said "Ouch" which is something neither my husband nor I have ever taught her to say. 
   
   Gracie's grammar is pretty darn good although most of the time she only lets loose on it when she's in her quiet times in her cage.  She'll have her back to us and sit and talk to herself.  She can say "What cha doin?" and many other phrases but she won't say these 'on command' if we ask her.  She repeats a lot of what she hears on TV even the "bad stuff" as it were.  My husband is attempting to get her to whistle tunes like "Everybody was Kung-Fu Fighting".  I'm trying to get her to sing "If I only had a brain" (just that one phrase).

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5. 76

   Patty Inglish, MSposted 14 years ago

   34 years of research indicate that some of the greys do  understand - after 100s and 1000s of hours of training - because they play practical jokes with English:
   
   http://hubpages.com/t/22bff1
   http://hubpages.com/t/228f82

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