Note 23 — FREDERIC THE GREAT’S EULOGY ON JULIEN OFFRAY DE LA METTRIE.
Gertrude Carman Bussey translation
Among animals, some learn to speak and sing; they remember tunes, and strike the notes as exactly as a musician. Others, for instance the ape, show more intelligence, and yet can not learn music. What is the reason for this, except some defect in the organs of speech? But is this defect so essential to the structure that it could never be remedied? In a word, would it be absolutely impossible to teach the ape a language?23 I do not think so.