(Are chimps actually monkeys? They’re not, are they? Apes are different right? Damn you, Linnaean classification.)
Anyway. This week over at Shinyshelf I reviewed James Marsh’s Project Nim, a documentary on an experiment to create the world’s first TALKING MONKEY:
Despite what Disney cartoons and breakfast cereals may have taught us, animals cannot talk. This is a more profound statement than it at first appears.
It isn’t just that they can’t make the vocal noises required to form words. There’s some evidence that speech and intelligence are intimately related, that it’s only language that allows us to formulate abstract ideas. There is a reason why your dog is quite capable of telling you it’s hungry, but has yet to reminisce about that walk in the park last Sunday.
You can read the rest here.
