Pepperberg was training Alex to recognize [[English language|English]] [[grapheme]]s, in the hope that he would conceptually relate an English written word with the spoken word. He could identify sounds made by two-letter combinations such as SH and OR.<ref name="counts and reads">{{cite news|url=http://pubpages.unh.edu/~jel/video/alex.html|title=This bird talks, counts, and reads – a little|last=Chandler|first=David L.|date=18 May 1998|work=[[Boston Globe]]|access-date=13 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991003024910/http://pubpages.unh.edu/~jel/video/alex.html|archive-date=3 October 1999|page=D01}}</ref>
== DeathQua đời ==
Alex'sdeathqua onđời vào ngày 6 Septembertháng 9 năm 2007, attại agetuổi 31,<ref name="The_Economist_obit">{{citeChú newsthích báo|title=Alex the African Grey |url=http://www.economist.com/obituary/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9828615 |quote=Science's best known parrot died on September 6th, aged 31 |work=[[The Economist]] |date=20 September 2007 |accessdate=19 January 2009 | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20090211012733/http://www.economist.com/obituary/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9828615| archivedate=11 February 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> camegây asra abất surprisengờ, asvì thetuổi averagethọ lifetrung spanbình forcủa aloài greyvẹt parrotxám inđược captivitynuôi isdưỡng là 45 yearsnăm.<ref>{{CiteChú thích web|url=http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Psittacus_erithacus/|title=Psittacus erithacus (grey parrot)|website=Animal Diversity Web|access-date=2018-02-08}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://lafeber.com/vet/basic-information-sheet-for-the-african-grey-parrot/|title=Basic Information Sheet: African Grey Parrot {{!}} LafeberVet|date=2014-09-28|work=LafeberVet|access-date=2018-02-08}}</ref><ref name="ap"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/09/12/parrot.obit.ap/index.html|title=Bird brain Alex the parrot dies|date=12 September 2007|publisher=CNN|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070917021854/http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/09/12/parrot.obit.ap/index.html|archivedate=17 September 2007}}</ref> HisNhững lastlời wordscuối cùng ("You be good, I love you. See you tomorrow." ("Cậu sẽ ổn, tôi yêu cậu. Gặp lại vào ngày mai."))<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.nature.com/news/2007/070910/full/070910-4.html|doi=10.1038/news070910-4|title=Farewell to a famous parrot|journal=Nature|year=2007|last1=Chandler|first1=David}}</ref> werelà thenhững samelời wordsmà thatvẹt heAlex wouldnói saymỗi everyđêm night whenkhi Pepperberg leftrời thephòng thí labnghiệm.<ref>{{citeChú newsthích báo|title=Milestones Sep. 24, 2007|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1661695,00.html|accessdate=20 February 2012|newspaper=Time|date=24 September 2007}} {{subscription required}}</ref>
