Wednesday, March 26, 2014

NEW!!! Scott Nelson Interview 03/26/2014

NEW!!! Scott Nelson Interview 03/26/2014


   Hi all!!! I know most of everyone is ready to see Winter finally leave and Spring begin! I like many of you are ready to get outside and enjoy the outdoors no matter if it is Squatching, walking, hiking or any other outside activity you enjoy.

   Just like the Ron Morehead interview, there were some great questions posed to Scott. He called me many times in this process because he wanted to make sure the format worked well and he could make sure to get all of the questions answered to all's satisfaction. Again, many thanks to Scott to enable us to ask questions to a man in my opinion, is the most qualified to help us to learn about this unique and remarkable enigma. 


Hi Scott and thank you very much for agreeing to answer questions from our forum members. These will be submitted in our blog as an ongoing learning process to help understand what research is being done from some of the most notable researchers in the BF Community. We appreciate your time to help us learn more about the BF/Sasquatch People.

1) Southernyahoo - Have you contacted any Phoneticists in regards to the various recordings you now have? 

Reason for asking.


With the perception of language in the recordings and that it was done with a human like vocal system, the phonemes containing quantal vowels can be studied, measured and quantified using the relationships of F1 and F2 formants. With the three quantal vowels or cardinal vowels being attributed to humans only among mammals according to Anthropologists, this would be quite telling.
Scott:
You are quite right about this and I am sure that someday these studies will be done on Sasquatch Language, just as they have been done on Human Language.  Phoneticists and those specializing in Linguistics are the very scientists that Ron spoke of in his interview, and as of yet, they want nothing to do with these sounds.  I have offered to present my study to some of the most eminent Linguistics Specialists in the world, but have been rejected every time due to concerns for their academic reputations.  One gentleman in England wanted us to box everything up and send it to him, but with a little research I discovered that he was a professional skeptic with a definite agenda.  I have always been willing to present the study to anyone who will listen, and of course we are always looking for others who are willing to take the same academic risks that we have.

2) Gigantor - Mr Nelson, Could you please explain in layman terms why you think language exists in the recordings you've heard?

Thanks!

Scott:
      It might be best to start here with my arguments for the three conclusions that I drew almost immediately upon hearing the Sierra Sounds for the first time.  Probably the best way to do that is to copy some of the notes I use when I present my study at conferences and symposiums:

     After that first quick review of the samplings of the Sierra Sounds, there were three facts that were immediately evident to me: (1) The vocalizations are not human (as we currently define human); (2) The creatures were speaking in a complex language (by the human definition of language); and (3)  The tapes could not have been faked.

      First:  The voices are not human.  The creatures on the Berry/Morehead Tapes are producing sounds that humans cannot make.  Their vocal range is far too great; much lower and much higher than humans are capable of producing.  This fact is corroborated by the Kirlin study.  Additionally, the volume and resonance of many of the vocalizations they produce is far beyond the ability of humans.  However, the most striking element to note is the prosody of utterance, or the tempo at which each utterance is delivered, as well as the speed at which the conversational turns take place, with the creatures almost stepping on each other in their discourse.  For the majority of the utterances, the rate of deliverance is at least twice that of humans.
     My second conclusion:  It is a complex, human-like language.  What did I recognize in the vocalizations that told me that it was language?  First are the articulated phonemes (individual units of phonetic sound) so similar to our own that it must be assumed they are produced by the same apparatus that we possess, namely, the tongue, the teeth and the lips, along with the entire tracheal tree, oral cavity and nasal cavity.  I have isolated 39 different phonemes, all common to human language.  Phonemes combine to form morphemes, or individual units of meaning which we commonly call syllables or minimal words.  These are evident throughout the tapes, repeated in conversational turns and morpheme streams characteristic only of language.  We find discourse (conversational turns of utterance); query inflection and direct response; imperative or persuasive inflections; expression of emotion, intimidation, negation and even ritual.  These vocalizations exhibit characteristics that are conventional, automatized, arbitrary and creative; all of which are properties of human language.
     In brief, there are so many characteristics of human language evident in the tapes that we must assume that even those elements that cannot yet be known, such as grammatical categories, are also present in this language.
     Finally to my third conclusion:  The tapes could not have been faked.  While serving as a crypto-linguist working with Naval Intelligence, I trained in every form of deceptive voice communication imaginable, including slowing the tape; speeding it up; modulation of tone and pitch; playing tape backward and distortion of every kind.  None of these techniques is evident here.  I was a Russian analyst so I trained in all of the Soviet tactics of deception.  They are the best in the world at deceptive communication techniques, but even their best effort could not have produced these vocalizations; and certainly, no one could have done it in 1974.  What initially led me to conclude that the tapes were not fake, is that in numerous instances the humans and the creatures are speaking at the same time; vocally stepping on each other.  This cannot be done without leaving trace evidence (also confirmed by the Kirlin Study).      
     At this juncture, to claim that these vocalizations were faked, one would have to argue that a secret cabal, comprised of several ingenious conspirators, was so determined to deceive the world, that they invented their own language, modulated their vocalizations to frequencies above and below the ability of humans, harassed a small group of well-armed hunters, over a period of several weeks in successive years and threw in numerous cognate words and expressions to boot.  It is now more reasonable to defend the existence of an undocumented creature than it is to believe in such a conspiracy.

3) Doc Holiday - If there is a language involved does it sound similar to any known languages and if so which one?

Thank you.

Scott:
When I first stumbled onto the Sierra Sounds, labeled “Samurai Chatter” on a website, they did indeed sound Asian due to the rapidly staccato nature and deep-throated delivery.  I immediately took the sounds to a Native-Japanese colleague of mine who said, “It sounds like an ancient form of Japanese, but I can’t understand a single word.”  I have since played the tapes to native speakers of virtually every human language group, to include Russian, Spanish, Persian, and several Native-American, African and Pacific Island Languages.  All of these native speakers have heard “words” that are familiar to them.  This has led me to conclude that it is natural for us to listen for morpheme streams that have meaning for us; however, we cannot conclude that these are cognatic words and phrases from human languages.
     If Sasquatch is as intelligent and observant as we think he is, it would also be natural for him to assimilate parts of our language.  If his very survival depends on avoidance of humans, would he not want to know what we are thinking and planning?  He certainly would and for the same reasons that I did what I did in the Navy, “Know Thine Enemy,”        
     If Sasquatch followed us to the New World over the Bearing Straits, he would likely carry remnants of Asiatic languages.  His language would have evolved along the periphery of Native-American culture.  Spanish has been a dominant language on this continent for more than 500 years and English for more than 400.  Therefore, I believe that Sasquatch could be using elements from all of these influences, as well as his own language system that would be very different from known languages.   

4) Chris - Mr. Nelson, Why did you ever decide to make a separate Sasquatch Phonetic Alphabet, when all of the sounds can be phonetically transcribed using the current International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). The IPA contains all sounds that can be made with a vocal tract. Why did you feel it necessary to make a new alphabet?

Scott:
     The IPA is extremely complicated for any non-specialist to understand, using many symbols that look nothing like “letters” in any common language and which for most researchers (including myself) are impossible to find on any keyboard, let alone pronounce. Without specialized training in Linguistics, the IPA would be useless.  Therefore, the quick answer is: I decided to create a phonetic alphabet that is more accessible to a broad spectrum of researchers; knowing that the real evidence for Sasquatch Language would not come from academics who have never stepped foot in the woods, but from the front-line dedicated lay-persons who invest virtually everything they have to spend week after week out there amongst these beings.  

     I utilized variations of modern English Reformed Phonetic Alphabets as well as elements of the International NATO Transliteration Alphabet with which all military Crypto-Linguists are familiar.  This makes for a much more research-friendly tool, very useful for those of us who are doing the hard work.  We will let the academics do what they do when we are finished.

5) See-Te-Cah-NC - Mr. Nelson, What were the key things you noticed about the Sierra Sounds speech that clued you in that it was possibly language? Do you think that the Sasquatch "language" can/will eventually be translated into an existing human language? Is there a possibility that the sounds (language) were produced by a human?

Scott:
There is no possibility that the sounds were produced by a human.  Please see my answer to number 2 for my argument as well as what is it that makes this language.

     “Translation” can never truly take place until meaning can be confirmed by the speaker, so that is something that will not be happening anytime soon.

6)  Chelefoot - Mr. Nelson, Are there examples of other audio recordings that have demonstrated the same language characteristics that you have identified in the Sierra recordings?

Thanks!

Scott;    
 I have just a couple of short clips that fit this description, but nothing of the clarity and extent of the Sierra recordings.  That, of course, is our Holy Grail.

7) WV Footer - Mr. Nelson, you have concluded that a distinct language was detected. As an expert in your field, do you think the communications are of a hostile nature, or maybe an effort on the Squatches Part to communicate with humans?

Scott:
     If we presume that Sasquatch possesses similar emotional sensibilities as humans and would express them in a similar fashion, then indeed we find emotional utterances throughout the Berry/Morehead recordings.  We can infer much of this from modulations in pitch, tone and degree of agitation in the voice, and from the meaning of presumed cognatic expressions.  Since emotion is so often swayed by external environmental stimuli, it is easy to understand why the range of emotions expressed by the creatures during this confrontation between species, would be quite narrow: apprehension, aggravation, and hostility are most common.  However, there are many instances where curiosity, wonder and even humor are expressed; most notably at BI-1:30.19 (Berry Tape) where I posit that the male creature is laughing.
     We are quite sure that on the Morehead Tape, the creatures are attempting to slow down their utterances in order to communicate with the humans.

8)  JanV - Mr. Nelson, To me many purported Sasquatch recordings sound like Native American languages. Do you think there is a connection? Do you have any theories regarding this?

Scott:
Please see my answer to number 3.

9)  SWWASASQUATCHPROJECT - Mr. Nelson:   Have you analyzed any audio recordings where the BF speaks a known human language that seems authentic?  I would imagine there are a lot of hoaxes out there.    If a recording seems authentic and not human in origin,  is there any way to determine from the recording if the speaker is communicating in a human language known to it or if it is just mimicry?     Randy R

Scott:
      I have received many audio clips that certainly are attempts to deceive, others that are just mis-identified animal sounds and still others that simply cannot be determined to be outside of human ability to produce.  The rest of your question I believe I answered in (2)  and (3) above. 

10) BobbyO - Mr Nelson, can you please clarify that when you use the word " language ", you are not describing languages of the human species which are divided geographically such as English, Spanish, Mandarin etc but are describing the word as a form of communication like many animals are supposed to have, like Orca's for example ?

Or, are you saying that this “language " is more similar on a technical level to actual human languages than what other forms of communication in the animal world is said to be ?

Scott:
What is evident on the Berry/Morehead Tapes is language by the human definition of it.  Virtually all of the phonemes recovered are common to human languages, therefore, we have to assume they are articulated with the same apparatus humans have.  Please see above where I expand on this.

11) NCBRR - Is there a correlation between the speed of a spoken language and intelligence of the speaker and if so what does that say about BF's IQ?

Scott:
     I am not qualified to judge on this issue.  Humans speak in such a wide range of delivery rates and certainly, we speak quickly when we are in a heightened state of excitement.  I do not believe that all humans who speak rapidly are more intelligent than those who speak more slowly.  In fact, I have found that highly intelligent people tend to slow their delivery, giving some thought to what they are going to say and wanting to insure comprehension by the listener.

     I believe, however, that Sasquatch is a highly intelligent and even sentient being, since it is by our having the ability for Language that we define ourselves as sentient beings.

12) KBHunter – Mr Nelson, when you first heard the Sierra Sounds as your son was doing his research project on Bigfoot, what was the first thing you thought when you heard it? Did you think it was a potential hoax? Also, when was the WOW moment that you knew they were real?

Scott:
     The “WOW” moment was immediate and there was no possibility that it was a hoax.


13) KBHunter – What kind of advice on equipment can you give researchers that want to do their own recordings?
 Scott:
     I am certainly no sound equipment expert.  Ron and I have had good service from the ZOOM H2 voice recorder.


14) KBHunter – When people do “call blasting” using recordings like the Sierra Sounds or others, is there a potential danger of what they are telling the other BF/Sas? Is there a chance the sounds could be “not so nice” and would create a potential bad encounter?

Scott:
     There is always the chance that some of the utterances on the Berry/Morehead Tapes are not so nice.  I have always thought that call-blasting was rather silly and ineffective.  I am quite convinced that they are much smarter than we ever wanted to believe and that they cannot be fooled for long by call blasting.  In fact, I think it drives them away.  I think it is much more effective to just go out into the woods, do the things that we silly humans normally do, be non-threatening and there-by invite their curiosity.


15) KBHunter - Thanks so much for your time, can you please pass along any future conferences or events that you will be speaking?

 Scott:
     I have nothing big scheduled for the near future – some blog-talk appearances and a couple of events here in Kansas City (and of course my own efforts to get out in the woods and see if we can’t get guys to talk to us).

     Thanks for the opportunity, KB.