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
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
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?
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?
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?
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.
