• Call me Lenny/Leni@lemm.ee
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      8 months ago

      What I meant by “articulate” is most species wouldn’t fathom killing their young as a form of expression of angst. However, in elephants, seals, and walruses, this isn’t an uncommon thing to see in the wild, in fact a large percentage of the ones in zoos have been victims of the elephant/walrus/seal equivalent of unexplained child abuse that were “adopted” by zookeepers.

      • SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social
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        8 months ago

        I’m really confused then, since “articulate” to me means clear, distinct speech, being good with words, or having the power of speech. I don’t know what it means in this context.

        • Call me Lenny/Leni@lemm.ee
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          8 months ago

          “Articulate” as in a rough synonym of expressive. Art is articulate. Gaming can be articulate. Or at least that’s what I’m going by. I learned full English later in life, which may explain why some people say my word choice isn’t 100% analogous to its closest counterpart.

          • SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social
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            8 months ago

            Ah, I see where you’re coming from with that interpretation, thanks for the clarification! (For what it’s worth, for this English speaker, “articulate” has a very strong connotation of speech.)

            • intensely_human@lemm.ee
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              8 months ago

              To me it has a connotation of the individual connections clearly established. Hands are articulate mechanisms because they’re highly divided down into small pieces.

          • Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
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            8 months ago

            Articulate can relate to physical flexibility, jointedness, which isn’t a strong point for seals on land, and may contribute to their tendency to squash their pups. Speaking clearly is also not a strong point.