Philip the Parrot

The parrot greets Antonio with a “Hello”
Antonio: Hello Philip. Charming fellow. What else can he say?
Jerome: "How are you?", "I'm hungry," "What's your name?", "Goodbye," and "See you later."
Antonio: Impressivo! How do you teach him?
Jerome: Repetition, reward, and lots of patience.
Antonio: A satisfying companion.
Jerome: And sometimes demanding. Loves attention.
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Voice-over
Some parrots are said to have the cognitive ability of a two-year-old human child. And the needs.

The silence of sign language

Silent speech…

Watching is istening...

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Carlo: And how was the Diocletian Termini?

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Antonio: Amazing, of course. The structure, the sculptures, yes. But most impressive was a sign language workshop.

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Carlo: Inside?

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Antonio: Upstairs. 25 deaf people. All young. A leader was commenting on their individual performances performed on video explaining the exhibits.

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Carlo: In sign language?

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Antonio: All in sign language. The room was so quiet.

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Carlo: Just the fluttering of the hands?

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Antonio: Very occasionally, a voice, a laugh, a cough.

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Voice-over

As we age, we appreciate subdued conversations. And as deafness descends, sign language may be an optional voice.

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Reductio ad TOEIC score

In a meeting…

Chair: The level for passing should be set at TOEIC 600.

Member: One of my students only has a TOEIC score of 550 but he can summarise the plots of Hamlet and MacBeth. And he’s interesting to talk to. He should pass.

Chair: It’s simpler to stick to numbers.

Member (grumbling): Sounds an economic simplification. Language used to be taught through literature, then it was the communicative approach, now it’s reduced to achieving a TOEIC test score. Isn’t language ability a collection of skills more complex than that?

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Voice-over

Howard Gardner:
Multiple Intelligences

A single measure to measure a range of behavioral skills? Haven’t we been there before? In the 1950s, IQ was reduced to an average of one’s maths and verbal abilities. Howard Gardner showed there are multiple intelligences. Perhaps there are multiple skills in language too?

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Language learning

The Master speaks 50 languages. The student asks how he does it.

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Teacher: Start with the simple stuff: everyday objects, body parts. After nouns go to verbs, make sentences. Listen to the sounds.

Student: How long does it take to learn a new language?

Teacher: An hour for the essentials. A week for the complex grammar of a difficult language like Dutch.

Student: Any tricks?

Teacher: Use tools. Film subtitles are good. Oh, and leverage your resources. If you are learning one language, learn two or three others at the same time.

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Voiceover

Kenneth Hale put his language gifts to humanitarian use. He learned languages that were dying. Some he could rescue.

He reckoned that when we lose a language we lose “intellectual wealth, a work of art. It’s like dropping a bomb on the Louvre.”

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