Even though I feel like they might be trying to imply the Asian elephants are more intelligent than the African Elephants.
Elephant Learns To Speak Korean - Science News - redOrbit
What is cooler than a monkey that can do sign language? An Asian elephant that can speak Korean, which is exactly what one elephant named Koshik has learned to do.
Researchers wrote in the journal Current Biology that they have confirmed that Koshik has learned how to speak Korean by vocalizing it with his trunk in his mouth.
Koshik currently knows how to say hello, sit down, no, lie down, and good in Korean. These language skills could provide insights into the biology and evolution of vocal learning, the researchers said.
Human speech basically has two important aspects, pitch and timbre, said Angela Stoeger of the University of Vienna. Intriguingly, the elephant Koshik is capable of matching both pitch and timbre patterns: he accurately imitates human formants as well as the voice pitch of his trainers. This is remarkable considering the huge size, the long vocal tract, and other anatomical differences between an elephant and a human.
An elephants large larynx is able to produce very low-pitched sounds, and Stoeger said the animals have a trunk to use instead of lips for talking.
Koshik is able to copy the pitch and other characteristics of his human trainers voices. An analysis of the elephants speech showed not only clear similarities to human voices, but also differences from the typical elephant call.
Elephant Learns To Speak Korean - Science News - redOrbit
What is cooler than a monkey that can do sign language? An Asian elephant that can speak Korean, which is exactly what one elephant named Koshik has learned to do.
Researchers wrote in the journal Current Biology that they have confirmed that Koshik has learned how to speak Korean by vocalizing it with his trunk in his mouth.
Koshik currently knows how to say hello, sit down, no, lie down, and good in Korean. These language skills could provide insights into the biology and evolution of vocal learning, the researchers said.
Human speech basically has two important aspects, pitch and timbre, said Angela Stoeger of the University of Vienna. Intriguingly, the elephant Koshik is capable of matching both pitch and timbre patterns: he accurately imitates human formants as well as the voice pitch of his trainers. This is remarkable considering the huge size, the long vocal tract, and other anatomical differences between an elephant and a human.
An elephants large larynx is able to produce very low-pitched sounds, and Stoeger said the animals have a trunk to use instead of lips for talking.
Koshik is able to copy the pitch and other characteristics of his human trainers voices. An analysis of the elephants speech showed not only clear similarities to human voices, but also differences from the typical elephant call.