In this picture he is getting ready to say something in the mike. He liked to be recorded and would let me know when he had something to say.
It was a tough job for Victor to try to think of something different to say each time he was recorded, but he mastered it like a pro.
Understanding Victor
To get the best out of the recordings it is really important to take some time and listen to them carefully. Even I had to go over them many times to understand them. Use the slide bar on the audio player and follow the words provided. If you miss something, play that part back until you hear it, then move on to the next sentence. Once you have understood the complete file then play it all the way through and try to follow it without the words.
Some of his recordings are very complex and he may talk too fast or mispronounce certain words. A majority of what he says is understandable but he was known to talk in excess of two hundred words per minute. I try to do my best in giving you an honest interpretation of what he is saying. When Victor talked, he was still learning a new language. Take that into consideration and try to focus on what you can understand and the overall meaning of what he is saying. Additionally, he would pause half way through a sentence or run two sentences together. This makes it even more challenging. Just try to remember, he had only started to use context about one year prior to his death.
Like most talking birds, Victor did mimic but he had two other forms of talking. In one he wanted something or needed attention. In this form he talked louder and more clearly, showing a keen understanding of what is happening around him. In the second, he is thinking something and the words just come out. This is when he talks in a quieter, more mumbled sort of way. In many of the audio files he is allowing you a link to his mind showing you how complex and incredibly humanistic it could be.
If you are a new comer to the site and you don't have much experience listening to talking birds, I suggest you start off with the less complicated files. Larger parrots are known to talk and sound much like their trainers. Budgies however, develop their own accent and speech patterns. If you listen to the mimicries and statements first, it will help you to adjust to Victor's accent. These files are on the Animations, Mimicries and Statements Pages. The conversation files however, are the most remarkable and many could be classified as nothing less than animal art. You can get to these pages by using the menu which I have placed below.
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Copyright © April, 2001 Ryan Reynolds
