A Further Analysis on the Vocal Communication Displayed by Mali, and Its Connection to Inter and Intra-Species Communication
This paper was originally published by me as an assignment in June 2022, for the class Cross Cultural Communication, run by Prof. Eve Afifa Kheir. The only alterations present are a slight re-work of the reference section to suit the format of Blogspot, rather than its original Microsoft word, as the former does not allow for footnotes, and me having to screenshot an image that would not transfer over, resulting in a slightly blurrier image. Please inform me of any errors you may encounter in the following. Enjoy
A Further Analysis on the Vocal Communication Displayed by Mali, and Its Connection to Inter and Intra-Species Communication
Introduction
In order to best begin a discussion on communication, one
must first understand exactly how communication is achieved. Put simply,
communication is the passing of a message of meaning, between one entity and
another, and there are numerous forms of communication utilised within the
great tree of life. Vocal ejections, vibrations, bioluminescence, chemical and
electrical signals, sprays, touch, colour, and body language are all utilised
by the kingdom Animalia, alongside writing in that special group, the humans.[1]
Within the other kingdoms, we most commonly see chemical and electrical signals
being utilised, with the Plantae kingdom being best suited at inter-kingdom
communication, as plants commonly utilise as a means of intra-kingdom
communication, and interact with, Fungi, as well as using visual and chemical
stimuli to interact with various fauna, including ourselves.[2]
To describe in simplicity, communication may be achieved
when we tell someone something; or when we see someone is visibly upset; or
when we see an edible fruit ripen on a tree; or when an insect catches the
scent of a flower, ready to be pollinated; or when we write something (for
instance, this paper). In all instances, a message, whether consciously
intentional or not, direct or not, has been passed from one living creature
onto another.
In my previous presentation, I discussed multiple varieties
of communication within parrots in general, and my own pet green-cheeked
conure, Mali, in particular, via discussing minor amounts of his vocal and body
language. Unfortunately, the time constraints limited the amount I could talk
about, resulting in, in my opinion, a lacklustre representation of the depth of
the topic. To quote “I hope that this presentation, as short, and barebones as
it is, was able to help you understand the complexity of communication across
the animal kingdom”. This paper will continue both of those trends, the topic,
and the fact that I have not enough time nor space to properly delve into the
nuance I would like to.
Since my presentation, I have had a good amount of time to
refine my definitions, and so I shall lay out that ever-wanting information in
following format. To begin with, I shall explain a taxonomy of communication,
designed for understanding varieties of parrot communication, followed by a
minor analysis on observed natural speech within the conure species, with a
focus on that of Mali. Finally, I shall discuss those words, phrases, and
noises learned by Mali through mimicry.
A
Classification of Green-Cheeked Conure Communication Methods
In order to discuss the various sounds produced by our
subject, the green-cheeked conure (Pyrrhura Molinae)[3]
Mali, I must first set out a taxonomy of them, for ease of understanding.[4]
Within what I have coined the “Kingdom of Communication”,
there are three “classes” utilised by conures for active communication, these
being vocal ejections, body language, and pheromonal interaction. As the latter
is incredibly difficult to observe, and is most prominently utilised in mating,
which I have not witnessed, this paper will not be discussing it, yet excluding
it from the classification altogether would be an act of ignorance.
Following from this, there are four “Orders”, two within the
Vocal Ejection and Body Language Classes each. Within the former, there is
Natural Speech, being the forms of vocal communication displayed without
foreign intervention (their “natural language” if you will), and Learned
speech, which includes all sounds gained from non-intra-species individuals (a
learned foreign word, for instance). Those Orders under Body Language are
Appearance and Interaction. The former denotes all forms of body language that
does not involve contact with another being, while the latter includes all
forms that do. Often times the Orders within each Class interact with each
other, as will be described below.
Below the Order, is the “Intention”, which, as the name
implies, is the intended message. I place this at this level, because multiple
touches or calls may be used to show the same emotion, perhaps at different
strengths or with minor variance, but the core intended message is still
present. Finally, we have the “Method of Communication”, which describes the
exact form of the communication, the surface-level sound or action or the bird.
Natural
Speech
Mali displays often quite a variety of natural speech, more
than many green-cheeked conures, due to their typically quiet nature.[5]
These sounds are near universal to the Pyrrhura Molinae species, with slight
varieties, akin to voices or accents, belonging to each individual. This
includes conures being raised completely separate to others of their kind,
indicating an instinctual aspect to their “language” much like most humans are
instinctually able to interpret and use basic facial expressions.
Table 1: Some Natural Speech displayed by Mali, as
observed by myself
|
Intention of Communication |
Method of Communication |
|
|
1 |
Contact Call |
Two-toned call, sounding similar to the
word “baby” |
|
2 |
Entertained/curious/relaxed |
Low growl / grumble / “speaking” |
|
3 |
Content/relaxed/sleepy |
Grinding of the beak |
|
4 |
Scared |
Voice-less alveolar trill (similar to a
pigeon noise) |
|
5 |
Alarm-call/ greatly desiring attention |
Continuous fast repetition of one note
basic call |
|
6 |
Overstimulation |
Fast changing, varying lengths of
continuous noise |
|
7 |
Very happy |
A high-pitched call sounding similar to
the name “Weiss” |
|
8 |
Annoyed and desiring attention |
A “shout” of one medium-pitched tone,
repeated roughly every 7-12 seconds until situation is resolved, occasional intermingling
with #5 |
|
9 |
Excitement |
A faster paced mix of #1 and #7, with
occasional mixing of #2, and with Table 2 #3 |
The greatest variety exists withing the contact calls of
conures, those calls that make aware of others the location of the animal, with
Mali’s being akin to the English word “baby”. This is primarily due to my
partner rewarding him for “saying” it, as she would call Mali a baby, this will
be further described in the “Learned Speech” section below. This range of
contact calls seems to be a useful evolutionary trait, as conures, rather
uniquely amongst parrots, are able to mimic another’s contact call almost
immediately upon interacting with them, and retain the memory of the call for
periods of time upwards of 4 years.[6]
This appears to be in an effort to identify and call out to individuals within
a flock. It is unclear to both Balsby et al and Lohr et al whether this social
adaptation is a product or cause of the fission-fusion type of flocks that
conures inhabit.[7]
These flock types are in constant flux, with members sometimes not encountering
each other for upwards of two months. Flocks will continuously join together
and split apart into newly formed groups. Within this framework, it is clear to
see how being able to identify an individual, whether friend or foe, over time,
simply by their call, would be a useful social ability. Other parrots with
similar flock types, for instance galahs and corellas also have call retention,[8]
but, according to Balsby et al, conures, especially orange-fronted conures,
have amongst the best, due primarily to their proclivity for heavily
personalised contact calls.
As Balsby et al showed, and was discussed above, conures are
easily able to recognise and call out to others within a group, and this
appears to be the case when interacting with humans as well. Mali has a habit
of using slightly different tones when talking to different people. For
instance, when talking to my girlfriend, his primary caregiver, and whom he
seems to see as a mate, or to a group in which she is included, he used a
slightly higher-pitched tone. When interacting with me via contact calling, he
uses a slightly lower tone. This is also adjusted with the level of excitement,
yet the consistency of this phenomenon leads me to believe that this is his way
of calling out to us individually.
Learned
Speech
Like most parrots, conures are able to mimic human language,
primarily due to their lower voices than most other birds, combined with their
intelligence and natural social dynamics, yet in the wild their calls may be
much higher pitched and faster than any human language.[9]
This ability is often encouraged by bird owners, just look at how many videos
there are online of parrots speaking.
Their intelligence appears to determine how well they
understand their adopted language, with some parrots, such as the famous Apollo,
an African Grey Parrot, being able to easily distinguish and name in English, colours,
materials, items, and actions (such as pouring water),[10]
and even being able to make jokes when annoyed.[11]
Some parrots even have the ability to recognise and talk about abstract
concepts like fairness[12]
and work.[13] [14]
Conures, compared to the abovementioned larger parrots, have
a relatively small capacity for learned vocabulary, with estimates ranging from
10-25 words being able to be learned by each bird.[15]
Words which are easier to learn, according to John from parrotwebsite.com, are
most often one to three syllables, with four-plus syllable words or phrases
having notable breaks in them.
Table 2: Learned Speech displayed by Mali, as
observed by myself
|
# |
Intention
of Communication |
Method
of Communication (Mimicked Words/sounds) |
|
1 |
Contact Call |
“Baby” |
|
2 |
Seemingly a
contact call used specifically at night time, and occasionally an
anger/playful term |
“Mali” |
|
3 |
Happy |
“Cheeky bird”
(sometimes “bird” is replaced w/ “boy”) |
|
4 |
Unknown, due
to limited exposure, seemingly affectionate |
“Love you” |
|
5 |
No specific
meaning, used when he hears a questioning tone in human voice |
“Yes” |
|
6 |
Various/no
notable pattern. |
“Kiss” |
|
7 |
Displaying
affection |
Kiss-like
noise |
|
8 |
Minor
frustration |
Kiss-like
noise (slow) |
|
9 |
Wanting to
bite/wanting others to react as if he wants to bite |
“Ow!” |
|
10 |
Used
exclusively while making sudden movements in games |
Sudden breath |
|
11 |
Used when he
wants us to copy him, or recognise what he’s doing |
“aw” |
In the above Table 2, I have listed all the learned words
and sounds used by Mali. Through this, I posit, we can see how Mali, and by
extension green-cheeked conures, interpret human language, and perhaps gain
insight into their specie-al language, aka their Natural Speech.
For instance, the use of the term “ow!” (#9) when wanting to
bite may indicate that conures, in their Natural Speech, use specific calls
indication that others should back off, or leave them alone, or perhaps even to
square up to them, as they want to fight, and that those calls are calls
mimicking or mocking calls of pain. The reason I suggest this is that Mali
recognises that when we say “ow!” we are experiencing pain, and often shows
upset and sympathetic body language in those instances. Unfortunately, as this
paper focuses upon Mali, and my experience with other conures is limited, I
cannot make any form of a definitive statement.
Another possible trait of the Natural Speech of conures is
multiple name recognition. Following from Mali’s ability to call to individuals
via alterations to his contact call, discussed above, he recognises multiple
names for himself, used in different situations. This is not as simple as tone
alterations on the same name, but completely different names for different
scenarios. When we are away from him for any significant period (more than an
hour), we first interact with him by calling his name (Mali), but when we are
around him, we are more likely to call him “Baby”. In the same way, when he is
excited, we call him “cheeky bird”, but when we are excited by something he is
doing, we call him “Mali”, with a different tone of voice. On top of this, when
he’s naughty (for instance biting), we call him “Mali” in a harsh tone. He
responds to commands given to all of these names, and even utilises them in his
calling.
Within Table 2, numbers 1 and 2 are both labelled as contact
calls, and I believe his use of them directly relates to the ways in which we
call him. For instance, he uses #1 primarily because it mimics our way of
talking to him primarily. In the same way, he uses contact call #2 when dark
(as in he hasn’t seen us for a while) or when he’s angry, like when we are
upset at him.
Through these we can see that, while Mali does not seem to
know the exact meaning of the words we say to him, he is able to realise
general concepts within those human forms of communication. He understands that
“ow!” relates to pain, and that kissing most often is a form of affection, and
that we use his name in a certain tone when we’re angry at him.
On top of this, Mali seems to recognise minor amounts of
grammar, as the few times he has utilised #4 have been with different tones and
usually in conjunction with #2. When he uses the phrase “love you – Mali” a
questioning tone is utilised, and he displays excited body language if
responded to with a form of positive affirmation, whether “yes” or “love you”
is used as a response. On the other hand, he uses content body language upon us
responding to his using the combination “Mali – love you”. This may simply be
happenstance, as examples of each scenario are rare, yet the possibility merits
mentioning.
Conclusion
Sadly enough, as stated in the introduction, this topic is
so vast, and has so much depth, that any limitations of word count and timing
ensure that things need be missed. I was unable to include a section on body
language-based communication, despite my original intentions, as the topic grew
in complexity, or a section showing in greater detail the methodology of
teaching a conure new words, or an analysis on audio recording of Mali’s
speech, which would have served to assist certain claims in the Learned Speech
section. In the end, I am left paraphrasing my presentation’s conclusion, in
that I hope this has provided you a greater appreciation of both animal
communication in general (an oft overlooked topic in linguistics), and the
methods of communication employed by green-cheeked conures in particular, and
that I hope you gained as much of an interest in this little bird as I did.
-Kosta Zacharias & Mali
Appendix 1: Charts describing the taxonomy
of communication, as utilised by green-cheeked conures.
Note: Intention and Method of
Communication are intentionally left blank, as the forms of these would be too
numerous to create a readable, concise chart, yet excluding their place on the
chart would be negligent.
|
Kingdom |
Kingdom of Communication |
||||
|
Class of
Communication |
Vocal Ejection |
Body Language |
Chemical (Pheromones) |
||
|
Order of
Communication |
Natural Speech |
Learned Speech |
Appearance |
Touch/Interaction |
|
|
Intention of
Communication |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Method of Communication |
|
|
|
|
|
Appendix 2: A depiction of the method for
teaching a conure, specifically Mali, a new word
[1] Animal
communication (article) | Ecology | Khan Academy (2022). Available at:
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/ap-biology/ecology-ap/responses-to-the-environment/a/animal-communication#:~:text=Animals%20communicate%20using%20signals%2C%20which,behavior%2C%20and%20care%20for%20young.
(Accessed: 27 October 2022).
[2] Understanding
Volatile Communication in the Plant Kingdom (2016). Available at:
https://researchmatters.in/article/understanding-volatile-communication-plant-kingdom
(Accessed: 27 October 2022).
[3] Green
Cheek Conure (Parakeet) Species Guide: Pet Parrot Care, Lifespan, Personality
& Price (2020). Available at:
https://www.birdcagesnow.com/blogs/bird-blog/green-cheek-conures (Accessed: 4 October
2022).
[4]
For a visual representation, see Appendix 1
[5] Is
the Green-Cheeked Conure the Perfect Pet Bird? | BeChewy (2015).
Available at:
https://be.chewy.com/is-the-green-cheeked-conure-the-perfect-pet-bird/#:~:text=Green%20cheeks%20are%20a%20good,conures%2C%20but%20they%20do%20chatter.
(Accessed: 5 October 2022).
[6] Balsby,
T., Momberg, J. and Dabelsteen, T. (2012) "Vocal Imitation in Parrots
Allows Addressing of Specific Individuals in a Dynamic Communication
Network", PLoS ONE, 7(11), p. e49747. doi:
10.1371/journal.pone.0049747.
[7] Lohr,
B., Wright, T. and Dooling, R. (2003) "Detection and discrimination of
natural calls in masking noise by birds: estimating the active space of a
signal", Animal Behaviour, 65(4), pp. 763-777. doi:
10.1006/anbe.2003.2093.
[8] "The
juvenile food-begging calls, food-swallowing vocalisation and begging postures
in Australian cockatoos" (2022), p. Available at:
https://search.informit.org/doi/epdf/10.3316/informit.510301202474775
(Accessed: 20 October 2022).
[9] American,
S. (2007) Why do parrots have the ability to mimic?, Scientific
American. Available at:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/experts-parrots-mimic/ (Accessed: 25
October 2022).
[10] (2022) Youtube.com.
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWXvO9Xg83o (Accessed: 21 October
2022).
[11] Before
you continue to YouTube (2022). Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5_zbMGdv9Lc (Accessed: 15 October 2022).
[12] Before
you continue to YouTube (2022). Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3hOMF6vVdwY (Accessed: 15 October 2022).
[13] Before
you continue to YouTube (2022). Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HkkoDhRtGwM (Accessed: 15 October 2022).
[14] Before
you continue to YouTube (2022). Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HDSJWogVcqw (Accessed: 15 October 2022).
[15] Do
Green Cheek Conures Talk? (Revealed!) - Parrot Website (2021).
Available at: https://www.parrotwebsite.com/do-green-cheek-conures-talk/
(Accessed: 19 October 2022).
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