Why Can't Animals Talk Like Humans?

Talking is a unique thing. It is a combination of sounds and syllables arranged in various combinations and lengths to express various thoughts, emotions, ideas, etc. Apart from the basic production of the sound, a major component is the meaning behind the word. The words dog or apple have no meaning apart from the one decided upon by English speakers. The same sound may have different meanings in different languages; similarly, the same object may have different names in different languages. When we think about why animals cannot talk, we need to figure out why they cannot perform the two comprising actions simultaneously. The word simultaneously is essential, as there have been animals known to perform either one of the two functions, but that cannot be considered talking. For instance, parrots can mimic the sounds made by humans. Alternatively, there are animals, like whales, which teach their young ones their songs. However, these have no specific meaning behind them. A theory proposed by Elaine Morgan says that our ability to talk is also partially due to our evolutionary path. She says that we evolved from aquatic apes rather than directly from the tree climbers. Due to the phase of the aquatic apes, we learned to consciously control our breathing, which enables us to make the sounds required for talking.