Evolution?

Question

If evolution is a reality, then why is it that after so many millions of years with animals co-existing with humans that they have not been able to develop vocal cords to speak with and some how communicate? Why can we learn or understand other humans but not animals? Please no religious answers I already know what you're going to say.

Answer 1

1) evolution is a reality
2) evolution is REALLY slow
3) the number of years humans have had speech is evolutionarialy insignificant. There would need to be some serious time for genetic changes to randomly occur that would allow for vocalization (millions of years, not thousands)
4) communication also requires abstract thought. The idea that the word "apple" indicates that shiny red tasty thing on my desk is a very abstract concept. Most animals do not have the brain developed for that.
5) Some Great Apes have that capacity and can demonstrate it using sign language.
6) What is the evolutionary advantage to them driving verbalization. Very slight.

could it happen naturally, eventually, again meaning millions of years. More likely, we will get good at genetic engineering and force verbalization on monkeys and dolphins first

(for a great fictionalization of that, read "Startide Rising" by David Brin)

Answer 2

Your premise is wrong. Many animals communicate with each other in a variety of sophisticated ways, including vocally. See dolphins, whales as examples. As for communicating between species (human to animal), there is no reason why evolution should have resulted in inter-species communication. Evolution is driven by need. For example, giraffes developed long necks to reach food in high places. there is no need for inter-species communication that would have driven an evolutionary change in that direction. And, by the way, saying "if" evolution is a reality is like saying if the sun is a reality. Evolution has been documented scientifically over and over again. Only religious nuts deny the evidence.

Answer 3

jonmcn49: There is a big difference between speech and active mimicry.
A mynah can learn to mimic someone saying "F*CK OFF" repeatedly, it doesn't mean the Mynah (or the cockatiel, african grey, cockatoo, or conure) understand the significance of the words or the meaning behind them.
Through behavior most parrots mimic their owners as they would mimic their flock mates.
Yes - african greys and other large pscitticines have shown some degree of understanding, color recognition, and learning - basically, they're able to classically condition the birds to learn and understand words and be able to associate them with different things (objects, colors, actions, etc.)
However, though, the extent to which they learn this is purely random and individualized - which is why ALL bird owners would tell someone who "wanted to purchase a bird who will talk" that - your bird might NEVER talk. Don't just buy a bird because you want it to talk. Some never will.

Regardless - as everyone else has already pounded down.. there's no evolutionary drive requiring or making it more "fit" for us to push us in the direction of interspecies communication.
But if you think about it - we already communicate with animals in multiple ways, even if it's not how we communicate with one another.
When I'm riding my horse, by communicating to him with my seat, leg, and hands, I can ask him to perform a complicated dressage bend or ask him to pick up a specific canter lead all by subtle cues.
When I am at home - I can lift my hand, and point my finger, and my dog knows to sit, and then sit pretty.
She understands; she knows what I'm asking her to do, and I don't have to do it verbally - so really, there's no NEED for me TO communicate with her verbally - if not for the sentimental (and inquisitive) side of us that wants to know and understand what (if anything) they're thinking and feeling (which, you'll learn as a biologist/zoologist, etc., is anthropomorphizing, and wrong :)
Either way, every animal (including humans) can go it's own way in this world without ever communicating outside of their own species.. so thus far there's no advantage to it.
If there's no need, there's no reason.
Snails have succeeded thus far crapping practically on top of their own heads; most anemones crap out of their mouths; until it becomes a problem of survival, evolutionarily, there won't be a "solution."

Answer 4

Lots of reasons - your question is based on a very simplistic view of what evolution entails and how very very very slow and subtle these changes happen. Animals are vocal and some do have vocal chords, they just lack the speech centers in their brain, which is why they communicate other ways, and they do it very well. You're under the assumption we all evolved at the same pace, in the same direction and we didn't because their needs to be a hierarchy of sorts in the animal kingdom.

Answer 5

Animals do have vocal cords. They howl, growl, grunt... They are able to communicate with other members of their species. That's how wolves hunt. Whales call to keep in the group.

The reason species don't know other species' languages is because it's too complex to learn and teach. Think of it this way...You are in a country where no one speaks English. No one can write and no one has hands. How do you ask to go to the bathroom? It would be the same thing... If you happen to guess the right word for bathroom how would you know it was right if they can't tell you it's right?

Answer 6

Parrots speak. It is more to do with certain genetic mutations in communication centers in the brain. Evolution is not progressive and has no direction. Our big fat heads take a lot of resources to keep running, but there is a good trade-off for us. Other animals do just fine reproductively without some of our adaptions. That is what evolution is all about; reproductive success. Brains and things like wings bring that some succes to differing organisms in differing ways.

Answer 7

Animals have vocal cords. They just do not speak human languages, and we do not understand their languages..

Answer 8

This question has really nothing to do with Evolution.

Speech is not a requirement for survival as so not a prime factor in natural selection

Answer 9

For heavens sake! Stop asking these stupid questions! And that goes for all of you not-believing-in-evolution-ists out there! SIGH!!!