Lets say I managed to make my cat speak English.

So, lets say I give my cat the ability to talk English. With perfect annunciation, grammar, syntax and clarity.

However, I wouldn't be able to understand what it was talking about. Not a word, none of what it was saying would make any sense at all.

Interesting idea.

What in the blue hell are you gibbering on about?

Would it be able to understand you?

more importantly, would we??

Johanson said:

Would it be able to understand you?

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No. However you would be both talking perfect English to each other.

So basically you have taught it to speak Geordie?

dmpoole said:

So basically you have taught it to speak Geordie?

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I said perfect English.

then u are deaf, or forgot to teach the cat Vocab?

I think he means that although it knows English words, it still lacks the ability to use the words in an understandable way. I.e. to convey its thoughts.

EDIT: This is hard to explain.

Nickg said:

then u are deaf, or forgot to teach the cat Vocab?

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Nope.

Then the shock of a talking cat sent you insane, hence this thread?

So even though the cat can talk English it can't understand English and connect words to the meaning?

iCraig said:

Interesting idea.

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What? That the cat is spouting as much unutterable crap as the premise for this thread?

I always wonder if my cat will be hot if she is a human.

Skunkworks said:

I think he means that although it knows English words, it still cannot communicate in an understandable way.

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Spot on.

It's frames of reference would be so far removed, the way it percieves and understands the worlds would so different to our own, we wouldn't share any common ground, share any understanding, despite talking the same language and communicating in the same fashion.

Think of it like this, when you're listening to two scientists talk about space time, quantum singularities, and time paradox theories. You would be able to understand the words they were saying, but they would mean nothing.

Now seperate that gap over an entirely different species and way of life and you would have no chance, in the slightest, of communicating.

Help me, I'm confused....what is all this about?

iCraig said:

So, lets say I give my cat the ability to talk English. With perfect annunciation, grammar, syntax and clarity.

However, I wouldn't be able to understand what it was talking about. Not a word, none of what it was saying would make any sense at all.

Interesting idea.

Click to expand...

where can i buy whatever you are smoking???

Borris said:

What? That the cat is spouting as much unutterable crap as the premise for this thread?

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Typical really, somebody tries to start an interesting discussion about something, instead of the usual "how long do I cook a sheperds pie for?" drivel, and it gets dismissed as garbage.

If you don't want to talk about it, you know where the back button is.

Cat: "You're going to go with one of my plans? Are you nuts? What happens if we all get killed? I'll never hear the last of it!"

Apparently not... now unless your cat has actually started talking English why start this thread?

To talk about something interesting and different for a change.