Reports of an Africa gray parrot names Alex suggest that new that new methods of training animals may result in more learning than was previously believed possible. When the trainer uses words in context, Alex seems to relate some soun~s with their meanings. This is more than simple imitation, but it is not how children ac~uire the complexities of the grammar of any language. It is more like a dog learning to a~sociate certain sounds with meanings, such as heel, sit, fetch, and so on. Indeed, a recent study in Germany reports on a nine-yearr-old border collie names Rico who has acquired a 200-word vocabulary (containing both Germa and English words). Rico did not require intensive training but was able to learn many of these words quite quickly.