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The Dolphin Grammar Test
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Animal OdditiesMay 16, 2026

The Dolphin Grammar Test

The Dolphin Grammar Test Louis Herman built two artificial languages. One used hand gestures. One used computer-generated whistles. He taught them to dolphins Phoenix and Akeakamai. In a 1984 Cognition study, the dolphins parsed sentences they had never heard before. They understood word order. They knew the difference between 'ball to hoop' and 'hoop to ball.'

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