Q: Since some monkeys make a lot of noise and can even use simple sign language, is it possible they might ever learn to speak?

A: It’s true that some monkeys and apes, lured along by rewards, have been able to learn what might be called a simple sign language. But it’s been discovered that monkeys lack the key principle common to all human languages—something called “phrase structure grammar.”

An example of phrase structure grammar would be a sentence that uses the words “if” and “then.” These two words enable us to communicate opinions and complex social ideas, as there are many concepts that an unstructured string of words could never communicate.

Unsurprisingly, the discovery that monkeys lack this key ability has dashed some scientists’ hopes that monkeys could be trained to master a complex language.

No matter how hard evolutionists try to make apes and monkeys our relatives, they always end up finding themselves at a loss for words (excuse the pun). Only humans have the ability to communicate using complex grammar patterns, because God made man in His image with the ability to communicate with Him—and with each other—starting from the very beginning.

Read some recent findings regarding the genetics of language at FOXP2 and the non-evolution of human language.

This week’s After Eden cartoon:

January 6–7
Lady Lake, Florida
Dr. John Whitcomb

January 7
Wilmington, Ohio
Buddy Davis

January 7
Cincinnati, Ohio
Dr. Tommy Mitchell

January 7
Cincinnati, Ohio
Carl Kerby

January 13–14
Ennis, Texas
Video Conference