Item — HN Reader

Sorry but I was going to sleep, the article title was intriguing to me but was 12+ paragraphs long, so I ask ChatGPT the same question and I got 3 short paragraphs. Hope I'm not missing too much.

> If parrots can talk, why can’t monkeys?

> Parrots are able to mimic human speech because they have a specialized vocal organ, called a syrinx, that allows them to control the sounds they produce. This ability is not shared by all birds, but it is particularly well developed in parrots.

Monkeys, on the other hand, do not have the same type of vocal organ as birds, and so they are not able to produce the same range of sounds. While monkeys do communicate with each other using a variety of vocalizations, these sounds are not as complex or as adaptable as human speech.

Additionally, language is not just about making sounds, it is also about understanding and using complex grammatical rules and abstract concepts. While some primates have demonstrated a degree of language comprehension and production in scientific studies, their abilities are still far from the complexity and flexibility of human language.

3 comments

It’s silly enough that you did this but rather annoying that you posted it here

That is not a very good answer. What ChatGPT basically said was: “Monkeys can’t speak because they don’t have a bird-only organ and because syntax is hard”

I think you would have had a much better result if you had asked it to summarize this (fun and interesting) article.

A couple more "whys" in you get:

> Parrots are social animals that live in complex environments such as rainforests, where communication with other members of the group is essential. The ability to produce a wide range of vocalizations, including mimicry of other animals and human speech, could provide an advantage in communicating with other parrots and navigating the complex social dynamics of their environment.

> In contrast, monkeys and other primates evolved in a different ecological context, where visual communication and social cues may have played a more important role than vocalization. Additionally, the physical constraints of the primate vocal tract may have limited the evolution of more complex vocalizations, including mimicry of human speech.

Although it doesn't make sense to me now - monkeys also evolved in rainforests right? Maybe they stayed closer. After all birds can fly.