Koko, a gorilla who could do sign language, has died at 46
>> The popular gorilla, known for her extraordinary mastery of sign language, has passed away at the age of 46.<p>About the "extraordinary mastery of sign language", wikipedia has this to say:<p><i>As with other great ape language experiments, the extent to which Koko mastered and demonstrated language through the use of these signs is disputed.[4][5] But it is generally accepted that she did not use syntax or grammar, and that her use of language did not exceed that of a young human child.</i><p>(...)<p><i>Following Patterson's initial publications in 1978, a series of critical evaluations of her reports of signing behavior in great apes argued that video evidence suggested that Koko was simply being prompted by their trainers' unconscious cues to display specific signs, in what is commonly called the Clever Hans effect</i><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koko_(gorilla)" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koko_(gorilla)</a>