I have spoken before about the psychological nutrition program my Birds are on & why I provide it. It continues to be one of my most responded to articles. One thing that often confuses people is why language is such a central feature to the psychological nourishment my angels receive. In this article I am to go into more depth about the relationship Birds have with language & my own experiences with enriching their exposure to language.
Birds have a relationship with their own language much akin to the relationship we as humans have with language. They have local dialects, meaning that the way they vocalize becomes a strong sense of identity & can tell others where they come from & even some life experiences they have had. A recent problem with endangered Parrots in Puerto Rico highlighted just how much language use means among different avian communities. Significant differences were found between the dialect of wild Parrots & those who were bred in captivity as part of a reintroduction project, this impacted the way the groups socialized with each other & could go on to impact the chances of them breeding together in the wild. We, as humans like to believe that we are the only ones intelligent enough to understand language, but this simply isn’t true.
Not only that, but pet Birds understand both human & their own language with remarkable profundity. We often believe that Birds sit there & blankly mimic phrases with no understanding, but their often-functional use of language, coupled with information from sources such as the Alex study should be enough to awaken the realization of their deep connection to language. I have seen language deeply touch Birds in a way that has made me cry, believe me- they know!
To enrich my Birds’ language experiences, I not only give them access to story books, poetry & plays, but different forms of language too. My Birds have an often-remarkable connection to old English (Anglo Saxon) & some with classical Latin. They don’t simply just enjoy the sound though. When learning old English, they develop an understanding of it & start to use it in context (even when the phrase was learned out of context). Some of my angels also begin to play with the language & use it in creative ways. For example, an old English phrase which translates roughly as ‘be thou well/ healthy’. I said this phrase to one of my Cockatiels, who changed the phrase. The part which would have translated as well/healthy was replaced by ‘thanked’ so, she said in response, ‘be thou thanked’ (with the word thanked in modern English & the rest in old). For them to play with a language, they have to understand it!
One of my Senegal’s recognized the old English letter ‘thorn’ being used in an old form of another language when looking at the text on a screen as it was spoken, her response was “ahhhhhh thorn!” She recognized the letter! This letter had only been spoken about in context & nobody had ever said that to her, it was her own reaction to the letter coming up.
So, if they understand the language & can hear different sounds, why is it important for their cognitive nutrition?
We know that learning different languages has a profound impact on the human brain & Birds are no different. They thrive with different sounds & words, regardless of the languages chosen. The different sounds open their world & stimulate their mind. The whole point of cognitive nutrition is to nourish a Bird’s mind with good input, just like you nourish their body with good nutrition. Exposing them to different languages rather than just one is, if you like, giving them more nutrition. It’s a bit like giving your Bird carrot that has been cooked for ages or raw carrot. Sure, they’re the same thing, but the cooked carrot on its own won’t give the same range of nutrients, the same exciting crunch, as the raw carrot.
I really believe that a Bird is product of their environment & nutrition. Most of my Birds come from homes where neither have been even close to the level of nutrients or stimulation they need & some are elderly by the time they arrive here. Seeing how they blossom with cognitive nutrition & good diet can be shocking. I don’t care whether they are a Finch, Amazon or any size in between, I presume competence & treat them as though they are the smartest little creature on earth, because they are.
So come on, start giving that raw carrot!