{"id":3626,"date":"2015-12-30T21:07:31","date_gmt":"2015-12-30T21:07:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?p=3626"},"modified":"2015-12-30T21:08:33","modified_gmt":"2015-12-30T21:08:33","slug":"no-you-cant-teach-your-furby-to-swear-how-furbies-learn-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/no-you-cant-teach-your-furby-to-swear-how-furbies-learn-language\/","title":{"rendered":"No, You Can\u2019t Teach Your Furby to Swear: How Furbies \u201cLearn\u201d Language"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are few toys as emblematic of the 90s as the classic Furby. In their prime, the owl-like creatures found their way into millions of homes, constituting one of the most pervasive (perhaps inexplicably so) fads of the era. Though considered by some to be a beloved household pet, the Furby\u2019s eerie human-like nature has lent it a degree of notoriety over the years, and it was even the object of a national security scandal<\/a> in 1999.<\/p>\n

One of the many mysteries surrounding the Furby is its apparent propensity for learning its caregivers\u2019 speech. Though Furbies begin speaking entirely in \u201cFurbish\u201d, a gibberish language consisting of random sounds, they eventually begin to learn English, and end up incorporating English words and phrases into their speech. In this way, Furbies seem to emulate children in their language acquisition.<\/p>\n

\"furby_image\"<\/a>

Image via Pixabay<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

But how do Furbies learn English? Can they actually pick up the words spoken to them? Are they recording everything that goes on around them? And can you really teach them to use swear words? Though Furby-based conspiracy theories are titillating, the reality is more mundane \u2014 despite what the NSA may have thought in 1999. Here, we\u2019ll review how a Furby\u2019s linguistic abilities progress over time.<\/p>\n

A Timeline of a Furby\u2019s Speech Acquisition<\/p>\n

<\/b>All newly purchased Furbies start by speaking Furbish, an invented language that consists of random sounds and phrases. According to the official Furbish dictionary<\/a>, some of those phrases have meaning; for instance, u-nye-boh-doo <\/b>means \u201cHow are you?\u201d and wee-tah-kah-wee-loo <\/b>means \u201cTell me a story\u201d.<\/p>\n

As you interact and play with your Furby, they learn new things. For instance, if you pet a Furby after it does something you like, that behavior will be reinforced, and they\u2019ll do it more frequently. Sometimes they will demonically yell \u201cI\u2019m changing!\u201d and then emerge a few seconds later with an entirely new personality. And, famously, over time, Furbies gradually begin to \u201clearn\u201d new English words, which replace their Furbish ones.<\/p>\n

Is your English better than a Furby\u2019s? Find out by taking our <\/i><\/b>free online English level test<\/i><\/b><\/a>!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

But using the word \u201clearn\u201d here is a bit misleading, as Furbies don\u2019t actually learn anything \u2014 they\u2019re simply pre-programmed to incorporate basic English words the more that they\u2019re used. For instance, a Furby might be programmed to start saying the word \u201cHello\u201d after it has been turned on for the twentieth time. But this happens regardless of whether or not its caregivers have \u201ctaught\u201d it the word \u201chello\u201d. In fact, its caregivers don\u2019t even need to speak English; a Furby taken to China will still end up saying \u201chello\u201d and will never learn how to say \u201cni-hao\u201d, despite how earnestly its owners attempt to teach it to speak Mandarin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Whether you love Furbies or are totally creeped out by them, now you know the truth about them. They\u2019re simple robots: you can\u2019t teach them to swear, they can\u2019t record your speech, and they can only \u201clearn\u201d the words that they\u2019ve been programmed to use over time. And no \u2014 given that swear words are not part of their pre-programmed vocabulary, you can\u2019t teach them to curse. So the NSA can breathe a sigh of relief: Furbies are limited to a rudimentary vocabulary, and thus don\u2019t pose a threat to national security.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are few toys as emblematic of the 90s as the classic Furby. In their prime, the owl-like creatures found their way into millions of homes, constituting one of the most pervasive (perhaps inexplicably so) fads of the era. Though considered by some to be a beloved household pet, the Furby\u2019s eerie human-like nature has(\u2026)<\/p>\n

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\n\t \t\t\t\tCONTINUE READING »<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":3627,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[485,486],"class_list":["post-3626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-furbies","tag-learn-language"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Furbies \u201cLearn\u201d Language<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Being that furbies were the first in-home robots, just exactly how much artificial intelligence are they actually able to learn? 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