What Do Monkeys Have to Say?

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You'd think that with all the dissonance in the jungle or zoo from various simians, they'd have a lot to talk about if they could. Well, they can talk, if the sounds and physical hardware are any indication. Physically, there's no reason those critters couldn't talk, but those things are not enough.
Monkeys are equipped to talk, but they cannot do so. There's a fundamental difference between humans and simians that accounts for this.
Modified image from Pixabay / RobinVerhoef
It takes more than physical abilities to enable the making of speech. There has to be mental capacity as well. An ALS patient is unable to speak, but can communicate because of a neural implant that bypasses her body. Her mind makes it work. Ever see those statues of a chimp sitting on books (one of which says "Darwin") and pondering a skull? I want one, but they can be a bit pricey. Anyway, such deep thought is not going to happen from a non-human creature. Darwinoids cannot explain speech in humans but not simians.
It’s not that monkeys don’t have the vocal apparatus to talk like humans. They just don’t have the mind for it.

 Andy Coghlan is perplexed. “Monkeys should be able to talk just like us – so why don’t they?” he asks at New Scientist. Studies of macaques at Princeton show that the primates can make the five basic vowel sounds. They could make sounds that humans would recognize.
To read the rest, click on "Why Monkeys Don’t Talk". ADDENDUM: A slightly newer article covers additional aspects of this topic, "What Would a Monkey Say If It Had a Mind to?"