Rogue Syntax: Primer

The second part of our investigation into what happens when humans try to make non-humans talk, deals with two experiments with chimpanzees both intended to disprove ascendant theories of Noam Chomsky from the 60s onwards. We continue to listen to the evolving ethics of behavioural experiments with animals and the tragic effects on chimps and humans alike whose lives were altered by this struggle between competing linguistic theorists and theories. Featuring music by Vera Dvale and guests Lekan Akinlosotu Martins and Sabine Gottfried

ROGUE SYNTAX PRIMER, EPISODE 3 Part 1: THE CLEVER HANS EFFECT In the early 20th century, experiments with a performing horse, “Clever Hans”, sparked off a wave of scientific interest in the communication capacities of animals which continue today. Episode 3 of ROGUE SYNTAX is in two parts and both deal with this legacy of what happens when humans try to make non-humans talk. Part 1 explores the stories of “talking” horses and chimpanzee sign language experiments; introduces concepts such as operant conditioning and the observer expectancy effect in the context of language learning; and discusses the ethical and psychological effects of what happens when we make animals communicate with us. ROGUE SYNTAX is supported by Liquid Architecture, 1646 and The Australia Council for the Arts. This episode written by Nathan Gray, edited by Danni Zuvela, script consultation by Dr. Rikke Bungaard-Nielsen and titles and examples by Makiko Yamamoto. Featuring music by Vera Dvale (https://soundcloud.com/eravale) recordings by Andrew Skeoch, Aural Archipelago and a recording of Nathaniel Mann's pigeon whistles. roguesyntaxprimer@gmail.com

In the second episode of Rogue Syntax: Primer we listen in to animal signals, and attempt to place them within the context of their own worlds - worlds that we humans have become increasingly distanced from but which nonetheless resonate with calls, responses, songs and sonic forms we as yet lack the capacity to understand. In other words we look at the language-like capacities of our animal relatives and what they make possible – communication and cooperation both within and between...

This is Rogue Syntax - Contexts No. 2 with Felicity Mangan. Felicity is a sound artist and composer based in Berlin who works with the varying timbres of animal voices combining them into quasi bio-acoustic environments. She has recordings out on Longform Editions and Mappa Editions, and you can check her stuff out on felicitymangan.org We’re hosting some of her field recordings here as context for the next episode in which we examine the complexities of animal communications and one of the...

While we’re making Episode 2 of Rogue Syntax: Primer on animal communications, we thought we’d prepare the ground with a few relevant artworks for you. Here we present Critical Flicker Frequencies by our very own Nathan Gray, which also strolls through the animal world via the problematics of perception. "...this eyeless animal finds the way to her watchpoint [at the top of a tall blade of grass] with the help of only its skin’s general sensitivity to light. The approach of her prey becomes...

This episode offers listeners a high-end undercoat of linguistic basics, upon which successive Rogue Syntax layers will be built. A project by Nathan Gray, Makiko Yamamoto & Danni Zuvela, with linguist Rikke Bundegaard-Nielson, supported by Liquid Architecture (Melbourne), 1646 (The Hague) and Australia Council for the Arts.

Rogue Syntax is coming. #ear #mouth #speech #language #listening #experimentalmusic #contemporaryart UP NOW on all podcast platforms - a preview of Rogue Syntax: Episode 1, which drops next week. Featuring (among others) Robert Ashley and Laurie Anderson (DNA donors/style icons); vocal antics; and forensic analysis of one very dumb sentence. A project by Nathan Gray, Makiko Yamamoto & Danni Zuvela, with linguist Rikke Bundegaard-Nielson, supported by Liquid Architecture (Melbourne), 1646...

Preview of Rogue Syntax: Primer