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一探棉顶狨猴的语言

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Living with her family high above the ground in the northern tropical forests of Colombia,

在哥伦比亚北部的热带丛林中,她和家人住在高高的树上,
you will find Shakira, a cotton-top tamarin with a penchant for conversation. Say, 'Hola!'
她叫夏奇拉,一只喜欢喋喋不休的棉顶狨猴。说“哈喽!”
Though you may not realize it, this one pound monkey
可能你都没注意到,这种一磅左右的小猴子
communicates in a highly sophisticated language of 38 distinct calls based on variations of chirps and whistles.
用一种非常高级复杂的语言交流,该语言由多达38种不同的叫声组成,包含各种啁啾和哨叫。
The response she just gave is known as a 'B chirp', a call often directed at humans.
刚才她给出的回应被称为“B啁啾”,一种常用来跟人类打招呼的呼叫。
To appreciate the complexities of Shakira's language, let's learn a few chirps and whistles,
为了一感夏奇拉语言的复杂性,让我们先来了解几个啁啾声和哨叫声,
then examine how their combinations form grammatically structured sequences.
之后再看它们的组合是怎么形成语法结构序列的。
The chirp Shakira used to greet us comes from a class of calls known as single frequency modulated syllables.
夏奇拉用来和我们打招呼的啁啾,是由一组音节组成,被称为单频调制音。
This class is made up of short duration calls, or chirps, and long duration calls, like screams and squeals.
这组音节由短音音调,比如啁啾,和长音音调,比如尖叫声,一起组成。
Researchers have determined that there are eight different types of chirps
研究人员发现有8种不同的啁啾,
categorized by stem upsweep, duration, peak frequency, and frequency change.
是根据升调、音长、峰值频率和频率变化划分出来的。
In addition, each chirp has its own unique meaning.
另外,每一种啁啾有它自己独特的含义。
For example, Shakira's 'C chirp' is used when she is approaching food,
比如说,夏奇拉的“C啁啾”会用在她获取食物的时候,
where as her 'D chirp' is only used when she has the food in hand.
而“D啁啾”只有在她手中有食物时才会使用。
Single whistles also exhibit a unique intention with each call
单信号哨叫也在每次呼叫中表达独特的意思,
and just as there are eight different chirps, there are five different whistles.
就如存在着8种不同的啁啾,哨叫也有5种之分。
Based on frequency modulation, single whistles are subdivided into four categories:
根据频率调制,哨叫也被细分成4个子类:
squeaks, initially modulated whistles, terminally modulated whistles, and flat whistles.
吱吱声,初始调制哨叫,终极调制哨叫以及平哨。
The language's quality of unique intention is wonderfully exemplified by the category of initially modulated whistles.
这种语言表达含义时的清晰性,完全可以用初始调制哨叫的种类来说明。
These whistles change based on the proximity of Shakira to other members of her family.
这些哨叫会根据夏奇拉与她家人之间的距离远近而改变。
If Shakira is greater than .6 meters from her family, she'll sound a large initally modulated whistle.
如果夏奇拉与她家人之间的距离远于0.6米,她就会发出高度初始调制哨叫。
But if she's less than .6 meters from her family, she'll sound a small initially modulated whistle.
但如果她与家人的距离小于0.6米,她就会发出轻度初始调制哨叫。

一探棉顶狨猴的语言

Now that we've learned a few chirps and whistles,

现在我们既然已经了解了几种啁啾和哨叫,
Shakira wants to show off by taking you through a quick day in her life with these calls.
夏奇拉想跟你炫耀一下她的语言功底,她要带你体验一下她从早到晚所发出的声音。
While heading towards a feeding tree for her first meal of the day, she says, a call most often used in relaxed investigations.
当她跳到一棵书上开始她的早餐时,她说,这是一种多用于放松的探查的叫声。
However, suddenly she spots the shadow of a hawk. 'E chirp' for alarm.
然而,她突然发觉一直大鹰的影子,她发出报警声“E啁啾”。
This call alerts her family to the presence of this predator, and Shakira jumps to the safety of an inner branch.
这声音警示她家人捕食者靠近了,夏奇拉自己也赶紧跳入密枝深处的安全地带。
The coast seems clear, so Shakira makes her way towards her dad.
现在该没事了,所以夏奇拉向她的爸爸靠近。
Wait, wait. Who is that? Ah, it's her younger brother, Carlos.
等等,等等,那个小家伙是谁?啊哈,是她的弟弟卡洛斯。
Cotton-top tamarins often squeal during play wrestling.
棉顶狨猴玩摔跤的时候通常会发出尖叫。
Uh-oh. He's playing a little too roughly, and Shakira screams, alerting her parents to help her.
啊哦,卡洛斯有点粗暴了,夏奇拉开始尖叫,想让她父母来帮她。
Her dad makes his way towards the ball of rolling fur and her brother stops.
她爸爸朝着扭打成一团毛球走去,她弟弟识相地停了下来。
Shakira shakes herself and scratches herself to get the hair on her head back in place.
夏奇拉抖了抖身子,伸手捋了捋她头上的毛,恢复她的发型。
Then Shakira spots another group of unfamiliar tamarins and hears their normal long call.
之后,夏奇拉发现了另一群不太熟悉的棉顶狨猴,听了听它们的长叫。
She turns to her family.
她转向她的家人。
Did you catch that? First there was a chirp, then a whistle.
你听出来了吗?首先是个啁啾,然后是个哨叫。
This is what's known as a combination vocalization, a phrase that contains both a chirp and a whistle.
这被称为组合发声,一个由一声啁啾和一声哨叫组成的“短语”。
These are two calls strung together to convey a message.
这两声串起来表达一条信息。
The combination of these two elements alerts her family to the presence of another group, the 'F chirp',
她把这两个声音元素合在一起,用“F啁啾”通知她的家人另一个群体存在,
and the distance they are away, the normal long call whistle.
并同时用惯用的长口哨说明这个群体与他们的距离。
In other words, Shakira just said a sentence.
换句话说,夏奇拉刚刚说了句话。
Her simple demonstration is just the tip of the iceberg.
她这句简单的话只是它们语言的冰山一角。
She's got trills, chatters, multiple whistle calls, more combination vocalizations, even twitters.
她还有有颤音、饶舌、多样的哨叫,更有多种组合发音,甚至有吱吱喳喳。
Yet sadly enough, we may not get to hear everything she has to say.
然而,让人难过的是,我们可能永远也听不尽她说的每一件事。
Mixed in with chirping sonatas from high above is the constant thud of a machete chopping trees.
伴随树木高处啁啾的还有持续不断的砍伐树木的轰隆声。
Shakira's habitat in Colombia is being cut down, piece by piece,
夏奇拉在哥伦比亚的家正在被砍伐,一棵又一棵的树倒下,
and if we don't work to protect the critically endangered cotton-top tamarin, it will become extinct in our lifetime.
如果我们不采取行动保护濒临灭绝的棉顶狨猴,它们会在我们有生之年绝迹的。
If the chirp from one tamarin to the next has proven to be more than just idle chit chat,
如果棉顶狨猴之间的啁啾被证明不仅仅是闲聊那么简单,
imagine what else we have left to discover. Imagine what else Shakira can tell us.
想象一下还有多少是我们有待发现的。想象一下夏奇拉还可以告诉我们什么。

重点单词   查看全部解释    
distinct [dis'tiŋkt]

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adj. 独特的,不同的,明显的,清楚的

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unfamiliar ['ʌnfə'miljə]

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adj. 不熟悉的

 
sophisticated [sə'fistikeitid]

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adj. 诡辩的,久经世故的,精密的,老练的,尖端的

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branch [brɑ:ntʃ]

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n. 分支,树枝,分店,分部
v. 分支,分岔

 
penchant ['pentʃənt]

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n. 喜好(倾向)

 
combination [.kɔmbi'neiʃən]

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n. 结合,联合,联合体

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duration [dju'reiʃən]

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n. 持续时间,期间

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whistle ['wisl]

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n. 口哨,汽笛,厂笛,啸啸声,用于召唤或发布命令的哨声

 
initially [i'niʃəli]

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adv. 最初,开头

 
predator ['predətə]

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n. 食肉动物,掠夺者

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