Table of Contents (click to enlarge) Communication and Speaking: What Do They Mean? Why don’t animals talk?
So what is the reason other animals do not have this ability?
She is, in fact, absolutely right.
Why can’t animals talk like us?
A number of films depict or are based on such scenarios, where animals are talking not only to each other, but also to humans.
Or rather, what gives us the ability to communicate in this way?
Recommended video for you: What separates humans from animals? If you would like to purchase/license this video, please email us at [email protected].
Communication and speaking: What do they mean?
Communication and conversation can be quite vague, so let me clarify what I mean.
Every species communicates.
Even single-celled organisms have the ability to communicate.
This communication does not have to be in the form of the spoken word.
When I say ‘talk’, I’m referring to the ability people have not only to say when they’re hungry, but also to discuss their plans for the coming weekend.
A young creature does not need to learn how to communicate from its parents.
For example, a cat does not teach its kitten how to purr when it is happy or hiss when it is angry.
A dog does not need training to wag its tail when it is happy or to bark.
However, our speech is something we learn.
We learn different languages from our parents, or from other people.
(Photo: Pixnio) Speaking is a unique thing.
In addition to basic sound production, a key component is the meaning behind the word.
The words “dog” or “apple” have no meaning other than that established by English speakers.
The same sound can have different meanings in different languages; similarly, the same object may have different names in different languages.
My point is that when we talk about speech, it includes both the production of the sound and the meaning behind it.
Also read: Do animals speak a language that humans don’t understand? Why don’t animals talk?
Now that we have broken down, or simplified, the speech act, it will be easier to answer the above question.
When we think about why animals can’t talk, we have to understand why they can’t perform both actions simultaneously.
The word “simultaneously” is key, as there have been animals known to perform one of the 2 functions, but this cannot be considered “speech”.
For example, parrots can imitate sounds made by humans.
Alternatively, there are animals, such as whales, that teach their babies their songs.
However, these do not have any specific meaning behind them.
Parrots can imitate the sound made by humans (Photo: Pixabay) In humans, there are a number of reasons that can be attributed to our ability to speak.
For example, it was believed that our ancestors, the apes, could not speak like we do because their voice box did not descend as far as ours.
So, obviously, structure could not play a large role, if at all, in this ability of ours.
This part of the brain is less developed, or absent, in other animals.
Therefore, it is said to give us the ability to speak.
There is also the presence of some pathways that are found only in some animals, including humans.
Other groups of animals said to own these trails are birds, such as hummingbirds, songbirds and parrots, as well as mammals such as bats and cetaceans.
Foxp2: A Fascinating Gene Another factor that gives us this ability is the FOXP2 gene.
Dysfunctional genes lead to speech and language problems.
Since this gene activates other genes, it is not yet clear which (gene) is responsible for speech and language.
Another theory, put forward by Elaine Morgan, states that our ability to speak is partly due to our evolutionary path.
Because of the water monkey stage, we learned to consciously control our breathing, which enables us to make the sounds necessary for speech.
Whales teach their babies their songs (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons) There are animals, like parrots and even some elephants, that can imitate our words.
However, as we have established earlier, these animals do not understand the meaning of these words.
In short, speech is a unique skill possessed by humans.
From what we know, the only answer I can decipher is that our evolution gave us this ability and therefore played a role in making humans a superior species.
Although other animals show the ability to imitate the sounds we make, or have their own methods of internal communication, to date, no other animal has shown the same ability as humans.
However, perhaps the real question we should be asking is how these other animals communicate.
Perhaps a less anthropocentric view will lead us to ask the right questions and thus find better answers.
Also Read: Why Parrots Can Mimic Human Sounds/Speech But Primates Can’t?
Do you know why animals can’t talk like humans?
Can you answer three questions based on the article you just read?
Start the quiz
Your Answer: Correct Answer: Other
You got {{SCORE_CORRECT}} out of {{SCORE_TOTAL}} SHARE YOUR RESULTSShareTweetPinEmail
Take the quiz again
References (click to enlarge)BBC – Earth – Can any animals speak and use language like humans?
– www.bbc.comWhy are humans the only animals that talk – www.findingdulcinea.comWhy don’t animals talk?
MedlinePlus Share this article Suggested Reading Dirty Genes: A Breakthrough Program to Address the Root Cause of Disease and Optimize Your Health Control at AmazonFuzz: When Nature Breaks the LawCheck at AmazonCode Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing and the Future of this human race in the Amazon. useful article? Yes No