Why humans can talk and primates cant'?

Question

I'm not talking about sign language, but the fact that humans can speak, "say a word", what are the anatomical features that allow the use of spoken language?

Answer 1

The latest research suggest there's a significant difference in the development of the speech centers in hominids lacking in other primates. More simply : our brains are wired to learn speechor perhaps to link symbols with sounds?

Chimps and other primates do understand spoken English!

Answer 2

just another way of proving that humans and apes are 2 different  things created by God.

Answer 3

Humans have a more developed speech center of the brain (called Broca's Area).  Humans are actually primates, by the way.  Other primates have not evolved to be able to do this yet.

Answer 4

Why do you limit language to spoken language and why to words recognizable as human languages?  Animals make noises at pitches the human ear can't hear, they clearly communicate, and gestures are important to human and non-human communication.  Human sign languages are languages.  Are elephant trumpets not a language becuase you and I can't understand it.  If so, is Swahili a language?  Obviously it is, despite the fact that it sounds like gibberish to me becuase I've never been taught it.  Make sure you choose a definition for "language" that doesn't exclude things that you just don't understand.  Linguists have an awful bias for spoken words that BSL and ASL users find rather insulting.  I suspect if my dogs knew more English than I've already taught them and could understand this conversation, they might be pretty insulted too.  My oldest Golden retriever developed her own sign that translates roughly as "Yes, of course."  My Lab knows easily 100 words in English and several in French as well as a few signs.  I also understand some canine language (I think a lot of dog owners can recognize at least their dog's alarm bark).  Animal training isn't about teaching behaviors; it's about creating a common system of communication so that the animal understands when you tell it to do something and you understand when the animal needs something.  So, clearly language is not exclusive to humans.  Spoken language isn't even exclusive to humans (many animals communicate with spoken languages).  Do you want to know why animal languages don't sound like human languages?  That would be a question for veterinarians.  They probably have some very complicated diagrams of the body systems of different species in their text books.

Answer 5

Because within the past 1/2 million years or so, Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis evolved a hyoid bone at the base of the throat, which helped us to regulate our breathing, and be able to speak and breath in a controlled manner...

This was a selective feature, which enabled us as bi-peds, to become better hunters, because while most of the other primates are "vegetarian", we are omniverous, and thrive on a certain percentage of meat in our diet...

Answer 6

First, your own question contradicts itself.  Humans are primates themselves.  That's like saying, "Why to dogs have fur and mammals don't?"  And to answer your question, primates other than humans can speak, just not in the same way as humans.  Just like our various languages, theirs are a combination of facial expressions, body language, and vocal sounds.  However, our vocal part is considerably more developed than that of other primates.  Our larynx evolved so we could regulate the passage of air in a more controlled manner, which led to our proficiency in hunting, as that requires very precise vocal communication.  If you will notice the diets of humans and other primates, ours consists of considerably more meat.  While chimpanzees do sometimes hunt small monkeys and other small mammals, they eat primarily vegetation.  The gathering of plants does not take as much verbal communicating as does that of other animals.

However, your question implies that you do not consider the communication between animals other than humans as actual language.  That is only because you yourself do not understand it.  Do you not consider Mandarin Chinese a language?  Farsi?  Just because YOU don't understand it does not mean that it is not a language.  That displays the arrogance that our species is prone to, considering themselves above other animals.

By the same token, while humans have largely failed to understand the language of other animals, many animals have learned our languages.  Gorillas have been taught to speak fluently in sign language, and intelligent birds like crows and parrots have been taught to speak vocally.  I personally am a horse person, and much of our communication with our horses is vocal.  When I am longeing (no, that is not spelled wrong) my mare, I can give her commands solely from my voice and she differentiates between the different sounds, not just how I say them, but the words themselves.  She completely understands the meanings of the words "ho," "whoa," "trot," "canter," "walk," and "come here."  She also interprets the differences between a clucking sound and a kiss sound, both of which mean completely different things.  Our dogs aren't the brightest, but I have seen dogs that understand the differences between over 40 vocal commands.

I hope I answered your question.

Answer 7

The descended hiyoid bone. It also makes it easy to choke on our food. the price of choking seems to have been less of a burden than not speaking. it's just too bad that the development of wisdom is lagging so far behind the power of complex communication.

Answer 8

Humans have a better developed speech center