Why can't animals talk like humans?
My mother often said that if my dog could talk, my secrets would be revealed. She was, indeed, absolutely right. After all, he is my most reliable person. However, it often gets me thinking. Why can’t animals talk like us? Many movies depict or are based on such scenes, where animals talk not only to each other but also to humans. So why isn’t this actually possible? Or rather, what gives us the ability to communicate in this way?
Communication and Speaking: What Do They Mean?
Communication and speaking can be very confusing, so let me clarify what I mean. Every species communicates. It is the key to their survival. Unicellular organisms are also capable of communication. This communication need not be in the form of the spoken word. This can be done through actions, gestures, chemicals, sounds or even dances! When I say ‘talk’, I’m referring to humans’ ability to not only tell when they’re hungry, but also to discuss their upcoming weekend plans. Communication is usually implicit. A young creature does not need to learn how to communicate from its parents. For example, a cat cannot teach its kitten how to purr when it is happy or how to whistle when it is angry. A dog does not need to be trained to wag its tail or bark when it is happy. Similarly, in humans, we scream in pain or fear. It is a natural behavior and does not require teaching. However, our speaking is something we learn. We learn different languages from our parents or from other people.
Speaking is a special thing. It is a combination of sounds and syllables arranged in different combinations and lengths to express different ideas, emotions, thoughts, etc. Apart from the basic production of sound, a major component is the meaning behind the word. The words “dog” or “apple” do not have a different meaning than the word determined by English speakers. The same sound may have different meanings in different languages; Similarly, the same object may have different names in different languages. What I mean is that when we talk about speaking, it includes both the production of sound and the meaning behind it.
Now that we have broken down or simplified the act of speaking, it becomes easier to answer the above question. When we think about why animals can’t talk, we have to figure out why they can’t do two things at once. The term ‘simultaneous’ is essential because animals can perform one of the 2 functions, but cannot be considered “talking”. For example, parrots can imitate sounds made by humans. Alternatively, animals such as whales teach their young their songs. However, there is no specific meaning behind these.
In humans, there are many reasons for our ability to speak. As with many biological functions, the extent and precision of these factors are not fully understood. The first and most obvious conclusions researchers jump to is that our bodies are simply built differently. More specifically, we have jaw, tongue, larynx or voice box etc. However, this claim is baseless. For example, our ancestors believed that apes could not speak like us because their voice box did not descend as low as ours. Eventually, however, the researchers found that it fell into young chimpanzees. So, naturally, structure does not play a major role in this ability of ours. Broca’s area in the cerebrum of our brain is closely related to speech comprehension. This part of the brain is underdeveloped or absent in other animals. Thus, it bestows upon us the ability to speak. There are also some pathways that exist only in some animals, including humans. These pathways help our vocal abilities. Other groups of animals said to have these pathways include birds such as hummingbirds, songbirds and parrots, as well as mammals such as bats and cetaceans.
ANOTHER FACT
Another factor that gives us this ability is the FOXP2 gene. This gene is responsible for the activation of some of our other genes. Dysfunctional genes can lead to speech and language problems. Because this gene activates other genes, it is still not clear which gene(s) is responsible for speech and language. Another theory presented by Elaine Morgan says that our ability to speak is also partly due to our evolutionary path. She says that we are not directly descended from tree climbers but from aquatic monkeys. Because of the aquatic ape phase, we learned to consciously control our breathing, which enables us to make the sounds we need to speak.
There are animals like parrots and even some elephants that imitate our words. However, as we have established before, these animals do not understand the meaning of these words. In short, speaking is a unique ability