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Taheri A. The partial upward migration of the laryngeal motor cortex: A window to the human brain evolution. Brain Res 2024; 1834:148892. [PMID: 38554798 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2024.148892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Revised: 03/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
The pioneer cortical electrical stimulation studies of the last century did not explicitly mark the location of the human laryngeal motor cortex (LMC), but only the "vocalization area" in the lower half of the lateral motor cortex. In the final years of 2010́s, neuroimaging studies did demonstrate two human cortical laryngeal representations, located at the opposing ends of the orofacial motor zone, therefore termed dorsal (LMCd) and ventral laryngeal motor cortex (LMCv). Since then, there has been a continuing debate regarding the origin, function and evolutionary significance of these areas. The "local duplication model" posits that the LMCd evolved by a duplication of an adjacent region of the motor cortex. The "duplication and migration model" assumes that the dorsal LMCd arose by a duplication of motor regions related to vocalization, such as the ancestry LMC, followed by a migration into the orofacial region of the motor cortex. This paper reviews the basic arguments of these viewpoints and suggests a new explanation, declaring that the LMCd in man is rather induced through the division of the unitary LMC in nonhuman primates, upward shift and relocation of its motor part due to the disproportional growth of the head, face, mouth, lips, and tongue motor areas in the ventral part of the human motor homunculus. This explanation may be called "expansion-division and relocation model".
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Affiliation(s)
- Abbas Taheri
- Neuroscience Razi, Berlin, Germany; Former Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
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2
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Gannon C, Hill RA, Lameira AR. Open plains are not a level playing field for hominid consonant-like versus vowel-like calls. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21138. [PMID: 38129443 PMCID: PMC10739746 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48165-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Africa's paleo-climate change represents an "ecological black-box" along the evolutionary timeline of spoken language; a vocal hominid went in and, millions of years later, out came a verbal human. It is unknown whether or how a shift from forested, dense habitats towards drier, open ones affected hominid vocal communication, potentially setting stage for speech evolution. To recreate how arboreal proto-vowels and proto-consonants would have interacted with a new ecology at ground level, we assessed how a series of orangutan voiceless consonant-like and voiced vowel-like calls travelled across the savannah. Vowel-like calls performed poorly in comparison to their counterparts. Only consonant-like calls afforded effective perceptibility beyond 100 m distance without requiring repetition, as is characteristic of loud calling behaviour in nonhuman primates, typically composed by vowel-like calls. Results show that proto-consonants in human ancestors may have enhanced reliability of distance vocal communication across a canopy-to-ground ecotone. The ecological settings and soundscapes experienced by human ancestors may have had a more profound impact on the emergence and shape of spoken language than previously recognized.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Russell A Hill
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, UK
- Primate and Predator Project, Soutpansberg Mountains, Thohoyandou, South Africa
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa
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3
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Sauciuc GA, Persson T. Empirical challenges from the comparative and developmental literature to the Shared Intentionality Theory - a review of alternative data on recursive mind reading, prosociality, imitation and cumulative culture. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1157137. [PMID: 37901066 PMCID: PMC10613111 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1157137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans have an irresistible inclination to coordinate actions with others, leading to species-unique forms of cooperation. According to the highly influential Shared Intentionality Theory (SITh), human cooperation is made possible by shared intentionality (SI), typically defined as a suite of socio-cognitive and motivational traits for sharing psychological states with others, thereby enabling individuals to engage in joint action in the mutually aware pursuit of shared goals. SITh theorises that SI evolved as late as 400,000 years ago, when our ancestors (in particular, Homo heidelbergensis) turned to a kind of food procurement that obligatorily required joint coordinated action. SI is, thus, hypothesized to be absent in other extant species, including our closest genetic relatives, the nonhuman great apes ("apes"). According to SITh, ape psychology is exclusively driven by individualistic motivations, as opposed to human psychology which is uniquely driven by altruistic motivations. The evolutionary scenario proposed by SITh builds on a series of findings from socio-cognitive research with apes and human children, and on the assumption that abilities expressed early in human development are human universals, unlikely to have been shaped by socio-cultural influences. Drawing on the primatological and developmental literature, we provide a systematic - albeit selective - review of SITh-inconsistent findings concerning psychological and behavioural traits theorised to be constitutive of SI. The findings we review pertain to all three thematic clusters typically addressed in SITh: (i) recursive mind reading; (ii) prosociality; (iii) imitation and cumulative culture. We conclude that such alternative data undermine two core SITh claims: the late evolutionary emergence of SI and the radical divide between ape and human psychology. We also discuss several conceptual and methodological limitations that currently hamper reliable comparative research on SI, in particular those engendered by Western-centric biases in the social sciences, where an overreliance on Western samples has promoted the formulation of Western-centric conceptualisations, operationalisations and methodologies.
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Kalan AK, Nakano R, Warshawski L. What we know and don't know about great ape cultural communication in the wild. Am J Primatol 2023:e23560. [PMID: 37828822 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Following the first descriptions of culture in primates, widespread agreement has developed that the term can be applied to nonhumans as group-specific, socially learned behaviors. While behaviors such as those involving extractive tool use have been researched intensively, we propose that behaviors that are more subtle, less likely to be ecologically constrained, and more likely to be socially shaped, such as cultural forms of communication, provide compelling evidence of culture in nonhuman primates. Additionally, cultural forms of communication can provide novel insights into animal cognition such as the capacity for conformity, conventionalized meanings, arbitrariness in signal forms, and even symbolism. In this paper we focus on evidence from studies conducted on wild great apes. First, we provide a thorough review of what exactly we do know, and by extension don't know, about great ape cultural communication. We argue that detailed research on both vocal and gestural communication in wild great apes shows a more nuanced and variable repertoire than once assumed, with increasing support for group-specific variation. Second, we discuss the relevance of great ape cultural communication and its potential for illustrating evolutionary continuity for human-like cultural attributes, namely cumulative culture and symbolism. In sum, a concerted effort to examine cultural forms of communication in great apes could reveal novel evidence for cultural capacities that have thus far been heavily debated in the literature and can simultaneously contribute to an improved understanding of the complex minds of our closest living relatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ammie K Kalan
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Robyn Nakano
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Lindsey Warshawski
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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5
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Lameira AR, Hardus ME. Wild orangutans can simultaneously use two independent vocal sound sources similarly to songbirds and human beatboxers. PNAS NEXUS 2023; 2:pgad182. [PMID: 37383019 PMCID: PMC10299071 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
Speech is among the most complex motoric tasks humans ever perform. Songbirds match this achievement during song production through the precise and simultaneous motor control of two sound sources in the syrinx. Integrated and intricate motor control has made songbirds comparative models par excellence for the evolution of speech, however, phylogenetic distance with humans prevents an improved understanding of the precursors that, within the human lineage, drove the emergence of advanced vocal motor control and speech. Here, we report two types of biphonic call combination in wild orangutans that articulatorily resemble human beatboxing and that result from the simultaneous exercise of two vocal sound sources: one unvoiced source achieved through articulatory maneuvering of the lips, tongue, and jaw as typically used for consonant-like call production, plus one voiced source achieved through laryngeal action and voice activation as typically used for vowel-like call production. Orangutan biphonic call combinations showcase unappreciated levels of, and distinct neuromotor channels for, vocal motor control in a wild great ape, providing a direct vocal motor analogy with birdsong based on the precise and simultaneous co-control of two sound sources. Findings suggest that speech and human vocal fluency likely built upon complex call combination, coordination and coarticulation capacities that involved vowel-like and consonant-like calls in an ancestral hominid.
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6
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Lameira AR, Moran S. Life of p: A consonant older than speech. Bioessays 2023; 45:e2200246. [PMID: 36811380 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202200246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Which sounds composed the first spoken languages? Archetypal sounds are not phylogenetically or archeologically recoverable, but comparative linguistics and primatology provide an alternative approach. Labial articulations are the most common speech sound, being virtually universal across the world's languages. Of all labials, the plosive 'p' sound, as in 'Pablo Picasso', transcribed /p/, is the most predominant voiceless sound globally and one of the first sounds to emerge in human infant canonical babbling. Global omnipresence and ontogenetic precocity imply that /p/-like sounds could predate the first major linguistic diversification event(s) in humans. Indeed, great ape vocal data support this view, namely, the only cultural sound shared across all great ape genera is articulatorily homologous to a rolling or trilled /p/, the 'raspberry'. /p/-like labial sounds represent an 'articulatory attractor' among living hominids and are likely among the oldest phonological features to have ever emerged in linguistic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Steven Moran
- Department of Anthropology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
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7
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Lameira AR. Arboreal origin of consonants and thus, ultimately, speech. Trends Cogn Sci 2023; 27:122-124. [PMID: 36549965 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The world's spoken languages are universally composed of vowels and consonants, but the primate prototypical call repertoire is almost exclusively composed of vowel-like calls. What was the origin of consonant-like calls? Their prevalence across great apes suggests that an arboreal lifestyle and extractive foraging were ecological preconditions for speech evolution.
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8
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Watson SK, Filippi P, Gasparri L, Falk N, Tamer N, Widmer P, Manser M, Glock H. Optionality in animal communication: a novel framework for examining the evolution of arbitrariness. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 97:2057-2075. [PMID: 35818133 PMCID: PMC9795909 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
A critical feature of language is that the form of words need not bear any perceptual similarity to their function - these relationships can be 'arbitrary'. The capacity to process these arbitrary form-function associations facilitates the enormous expressive power of language. However, the evolutionary roots of our capacity for arbitrariness, i.e. the extent to which related abilities may be shared with animals, is largely unexamined. We argue this is due to the challenges of applying such an intrinsically linguistic concept to animal communication, and address this by proposing a novel conceptual framework highlighting a key underpinning of linguistic arbitrariness, which is nevertheless applicable to non-human species. Specifically, we focus on the capacity to associate alternative functions with a signal, or alternative signals with a function, a feature we refer to as optionality. We apply this framework to a broad survey of findings from animal communication studies and identify five key dimensions of communicative optionality: signal production, signal adjustment, signal usage, signal combinatoriality and signal perception. We find that optionality is widespread in non-human animals across each of these dimensions, although only humans demonstrate it in all five. Finally, we discuss the relevance of optionality to behavioural and cognitive domains outside of communication. This investigation provides a powerful new conceptual framework for the cross-species investigation of the origins of arbitrariness, and promises to generate original insights into animal communication and language evolution more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart K. Watson
- Department of Comparative Language ScienceUniversity of ZurichAffolternstrasse 568050ZürichSwitzerland,Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language EvolutionUniversity of ZurichAffolternstrasse 568050ZürichSwitzerland,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichWinterthurerstrasse 1908057ZurichSwitzerland
| | - Piera Filippi
- Department of Comparative Language ScienceUniversity of ZurichAffolternstrasse 568050ZürichSwitzerland,Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language EvolutionUniversity of ZurichAffolternstrasse 568050ZürichSwitzerland,Department of PhilosophyUniversity of ZurichZurichbergstrasse 438044ZürichSwitzerland
| | - Luca Gasparri
- Department of PhilosophyUniversity of ZurichZurichbergstrasse 438044ZürichSwitzerland,Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8163 – STL – Savoirs Textes LangageF‐59000LilleFrance
| | - Nikola Falk
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language EvolutionUniversity of ZurichAffolternstrasse 568050ZürichSwitzerland,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichWinterthurerstrasse 1908057ZurichSwitzerland
| | - Nicole Tamer
- Department of Comparative Language ScienceUniversity of ZurichAffolternstrasse 568050ZürichSwitzerland,Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language EvolutionUniversity of ZurichAffolternstrasse 568050ZürichSwitzerland
| | - Paul Widmer
- Department of Comparative Language ScienceUniversity of ZurichAffolternstrasse 568050ZürichSwitzerland,Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language EvolutionUniversity of ZurichAffolternstrasse 568050ZürichSwitzerland
| | - Marta Manser
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language EvolutionUniversity of ZurichAffolternstrasse 568050ZürichSwitzerland,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichWinterthurerstrasse 1908057ZurichSwitzerland
| | - Hans‐Johann Glock
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language EvolutionUniversity of ZurichAffolternstrasse 568050ZürichSwitzerland,Department of PhilosophyUniversity of ZurichZurichbergstrasse 438044ZürichSwitzerland
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9
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Watson SK, Lambeth SP, Schapiro SJ. Innovative multi-material tool use in the pant-hoot display of a chimpanzee. Sci Rep 2022; 12:20605. [PMID: 36446876 PMCID: PMC9708694 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-24770-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
'Pant-hoot displays' are a species-typical, multi-modal communicative behaviour in chimpanzees in which pant-hoot vocalisations are combined with varied behavioural displays. In both captivity and the wild, individuals commonly incorporate striking or throwing elements of their environment into these displays. In this case study, we present five videos of an unenculturated, captive, adult male chimpanzee combining a large rubber feeding tub with excelsior (wood wool) in a multi-step process, which was then integrated into the subject's pant-hoot displays as a percussive tool or 'instrument'. During the construction process, the subject demonstrated an understanding of the relevant properties of these materials, 'repairing' the tub to be a more functional drum when necessary. We supplement these videos with a survey of care staff from the study site for additional detail and context. Although care must be taken in generalising data from a single individual, the behaviour reported here hints at three intriguing features of chimpanzee communicative cognition: (1) it suggests a degree of voluntary control over vocal production, (2) it is a so-far unique example of compound tool innovation and use in communicative behaviour and (3) it may represent an example of forward planning in communicative behaviour. Each of these would represent hitherto undocumented dimensions of flexibility in chimpanzee communication, mapping fertile ground for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart K. Watson
- grid.7400.30000 0004 1937 0650Department of Comparative Language Science, University of Zurich, Affolternstrasse 56, 8050 Zürich, Switzerland ,grid.7400.30000 0004 1937 0650Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution, University of Zurich, Affolternstrasse 56, 8050 Zürich, Switzerland ,grid.7400.30000 0004 1937 0650Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Susan P. Lambeth
- grid.240145.60000 0001 2291 4776Department of Comparative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 650 Cool Water Drive, Bastrop, TX 78602 USA
| | - Steven J. Schapiro
- grid.240145.60000 0001 2291 4776Department of Comparative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 650 Cool Water Drive, Bastrop, TX 78602 USA ,grid.5254.60000 0001 0674 042XDepartment of Experimental Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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10
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Zuberbühler K, León J, Deshpande A, Quintero F. Socially scripted vocal learning in primates. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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11
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Schick J, Fryns C, Wegdell F, Laporte M, Zuberbühler K, van Schaik CP, Townsend SW, Stoll S. The function and evolution of child-directed communication. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001630. [PMID: 35522717 PMCID: PMC9116647 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans communicate with small children in unusual and highly conspicuous ways (child-directed communication (CDC)), which enhance social bonding and facilitate language acquisition. CDC-like inputs are also reported for some vocally learning animals, suggesting similar functions in facilitating communicative competence. However, adult great apes, our closest living relatives, rarely signal to their infants, implicating communication surrounding the infant as the main input for infant great apes and early humans. Given cross-cultural variation in the amount and structure of CDC, we suggest that child-surrounding communication (CSC) provides essential compensatory input when CDC is less prevalent-a paramount topic for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Schick
- Department of Comparative Language Science, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Caroline Fryns
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Comparative Cognition, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
| | - Franziska Wegdell
- Department of Comparative Language Science, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marion Laporte
- Histoire naturelle de l’Homme préhistorique, UMR 7194, PaleoFED, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
- Institut des Sciences du Calcul et des Données, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Klaus Zuberbühler
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Comparative Cognition, University of Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - Carel P. van Schaik
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Simon W. Townsend
- Department of Comparative Language Science, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Warwick, United Kingdom
| | - Sabine Stoll
- Department of Comparative Language Science, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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12
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Kalan AK. Social orangutans have varied vocal personalities. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:504-505. [PMID: 35314783 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01718-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ammie K Kalan
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
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13
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Lameira AR, Santamaría-Bonfil G, Galeone D, Gamba M, Hardus ME, Knott CD, Morrogh-Bernard H, Nowak MG, Campbell-Smith G, Wich SA. Sociality predicts orangutan vocal phenotype. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:644-652. [PMID: 35314786 PMCID: PMC9085614 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01689-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In humans, individuals' social setting determines which and how language is acquired. Social seclusion experiments show that sociality also guides vocal development in songbirds and marmoset monkeys, but absence of similar great ape data has been interpreted as support to saltational notions for language origin, even if such laboratorial protocols are unethical with great apes. Here we characterize the repertoire entropy of orangutan individuals and show that in the wild, different degrees of sociality across populations are associated with different 'vocal personalities' in the form of distinct regimes of alarm call variants. In high-density populations, individuals are vocally more original and acoustically unpredictable but new call variants are short lived, whereas individuals in low-density populations are more conformative and acoustically consistent but also exhibit more complex call repertoires. Findings provide non-invasive evidence that sociality predicts vocal phenotype in a wild great ape. They prove false hypotheses that discredit great apes as having hardwired vocal development programmes and non-plastic vocal behaviour. Social settings mould vocal output in hominids besides humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriano R Lameira
- Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK. .,School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK.
| | - Guillermo Santamaría-Bonfil
- Instituto Nacional de Electricidad y Energías Limpias, Gerencia de Tecnologías de la Información, Cuernavaca, México
| | - Deborah Galeone
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Marco Gamba
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | | | - Cheryl D Knott
- Department of Anthropology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Helen Morrogh-Bernard
- Borneo Nature Foundation, Palangka Raya, Indonesia.,College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Matthew G Nowak
- The PanEco Foundation-Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme, Berg am Irchel, Switzerland.,Department of Anthropology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA
| | - Gail Campbell-Smith
- Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia, International Animal Rescue, Ketapang, Indonesia
| | - Serge A Wich
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.,Faculty of Science, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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14
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Taylor D, Clay Z, Dahl CD, Zuberbühler K, Davila-Ross M, Dezecache G. Vocal functional flexibility: what it is and why it matters. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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15
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Graham KE, Badihi G, Safryghin A, Grund C, Hobaiter C. A socio-ecological perspective on the gestural communication of great ape species, individuals, and social units. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2022; 34:235-259. [PMID: 35529671 PMCID: PMC9067943 DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2021.1988722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Over the last 30 years, most research on non-human primate gestural communication has been produced by psychologists, which has shaped the questions asked and the methods used. These researchers have drawn on concepts from philosophy, linguistics, anthropology, and ethology, but despite these broad influences the field has neglected to situate gestures into the socio-ecological context in which the diverse species, individuals, and social-units exist. In this review, we present current knowledge about great ape gestural communication in terms of repertoires, meanings, and development. We fold this into a conversation about variation in other types of ape social behaviour to identify areas for future research on variation in gestural communication. Given the large variation in socio-ecological factors across species and social-units (and the individuals within these groups), we may expect to find different preferences for specific gesture types; different needs for communicating specific meanings; and different rates of encountering specific contexts. New tools, such as machine-learning based automated movement tracking, may allow us to uncover potential variation in the speed and form of gesture actions or parts of gesture actions. New multi-group multi-generational datasets provide the opportunity to apply analyses, such as Bayesian modelling, which allows us to examine these rich behavioural landscapes. Together, by expanding our questions and our methods, researchers may finally be able to study great ape gestures from the perspective of the apes themselves and explore what this gestural communication system reveals about apes’ thinking and experience of their world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsty E. Graham
- School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Mary’s Quad, South St, St Andrews KY16 9JP, Scotland, UK
| | - Gal Badihi
- School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Mary’s Quad, South St, St Andrews KY16 9JP, Scotland, UK
| | - Alexandra Safryghin
- School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Mary’s Quad, South St, St Andrews KY16 9JP, Scotland, UK
| | - Charlotte Grund
- School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Mary’s Quad, South St, St Andrews KY16 9JP, Scotland, UK
| | - Catherine Hobaiter
- School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Mary’s Quad, South St, St Andrews KY16 9JP, Scotland, UK
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16
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Cissewski J, Luncz LV. Symbolic Signal Use in Wild Chimpanzee Gestural Communication?: A Theoretical Framework. Front Psychol 2021; 12:718414. [PMID: 35002829 PMCID: PMC8740021 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.718414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Symbolic communication is not obvious in the natural communicative repertoires of our closest living relatives, the great apes. However, great apes do show symbolic competencies in laboratory studies. This includes the understanding and the use of human-provided abstract symbols. Given this evidence for the underlying ability, the apparent failure to make use of it in the wild is puzzling. We provide a theoretical framework for identifying basic forms of symbolic signal use in chimpanzee natural communication. In line with the laboratory findings, we concentrate on the most promising domain to investigate, namely gesture, and we provide a case study in this area. We suggest that evidence for basic symbolic signal use would consist of the presence of two key characteristics of symbolic communication, namely arbitrariness and conventionalization. Arbitrariness means that the linkage between the form of the gesture and its meaning shows no obvious logical or otherwise motivated connection. Conventionalization means that the gesture is shared at the group-level and is thus socially learned, not innate. Further, we discuss the emergence and transmission of these gestures. Demonstrating this basic form of symbolic signal use would indicate that the symbolic capacities revealed by laboratory studies also find their expression in the natural gestural communication of our closest living relatives, even if only to a limited extent. This theoretical article thus aims to contribute to our understanding of the developmental origins of great ape gestures, and hence, arguably, of human symbolic communication. It also has a very practical aim in that by providing clear criteria and by pointing out potential candidates for symbolic communication, we give fieldworkers useful prerequisites for identifying and analyzing signals which may demonstrate the use of great apes' symbolic capacities in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Cissewski
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Lydia V. Luncz
- Technological Primates Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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17
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Belyk M, Eichert N, McGettigan C. A dual larynx motor networks hypothesis. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200392. [PMID: 34719252 PMCID: PMC8558777 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans are vocal modulators par excellence. This ability is supported in part by the dual representation of the laryngeal muscles in the motor cortex. Movement, however, is not the product of motor cortex alone but of a broader motor network. This network consists of brain regions that contain somatotopic maps that parallel the organization in motor cortex. We therefore present a novel hypothesis that the dual laryngeal representation is repeated throughout the broader motor network. In support of the hypothesis, we review existing literature that demonstrates the existence of network-wide somatotopy and present initial evidence for the hypothesis' plausibility. Understanding how this uniquely human phenotype in motor cortex interacts with broader brain networks is an important step toward understanding how humans evolved the ability to speak. We further suggest that this system may provide a means to study how individual components of the nervous system evolved within the context of neuronal networks. This article is part of the theme issue 'Voice modulation: from origin and mechanism to social impact (Part I)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Belyk
- Department of Speech Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, University College London, London WC1N 1PJ, UK
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, L39 4QP, UK
| | - Nicole Eichert
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Carolyn McGettigan
- Department of Speech Hearing and Phonetic Sciences, University College London, London WC1N 1PJ, UK
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18
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Fröhlich M, Bartolotta N, Fryns C, Wagner C, Momon L, Jaffrezic M, Mitra Setia T, Schuppli C, van Noordwijk MA, van Schaik CP. Orangutans have larger gestural repertoires in captivity than in the wild-A case of weak innovation? iScience 2021; 24:103304. [PMID: 34820602 PMCID: PMC8601978 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Whether nonhuman species can change their communicative repertoire in response to socio-ecological environments has critical implications for communicative innovativeness prior to the emergence of human language, with its unparalleled productivity. Here, we use a comparative sample of wild and zoo-housed orangutans of two species (Pongo abelii, Pongo pygmaeus) to assess the effect of the wild-captive contrast on repertoires of gestures and facial expressions. We find that repertoires on both the individual and population levels are larger in captive than in wild settings, regardless of species, age class, or sampling effort. In the more sociable Sumatran species, dominant use of signals toward single outcomes was also higher in captive settings. We thus conclude that orangutans exposed to more sociable and terrestrial conditions evince behavioral plasticity, in that they produce additional innate or innovated signals that are highly functionally specific. These findings suggest a latent capacity for innovativeness in these apes' communicative repertoires.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlen Fröhlich
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Natasha Bartolotta
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Caroline Fryns
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Colin Wagner
- Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, University of Strasbourg, 67037 Strasbourg, France
| | - Laurene Momon
- Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, University of Strasbourg, 67037 Strasbourg, France
| | - Marvin Jaffrezic
- Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, University of Strasbourg, 67037 Strasbourg, France
| | - Tatang Mitra Setia
- Fakultas Biologi, Universitas Nasional, 12520 Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia
| | - Caroline Schuppli
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78467 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Maria A. van Noordwijk
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Comparative Socioecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78467 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Carel P. van Schaik
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE), University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland
- Comparative Socioecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78467 Konstanz, Germany
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19
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Abstract
Vocal production learning, the ability to modify the structure of vocalizations as a result of hearing those of others, has been studied extensively in birds but less attention has been given to its occurrence in mammals. We summarize the available evidence for vocal learning in mammals from the last 25 years, updating earlier reviews on the subject. The clearest evidence comes from cetaceans, pinnipeds, elephants and bats where species have been found to copy artificial or human language sounds, or match acoustic models of different sound types. Vocal convergence, in which parameter adjustments within one sound type result in similarities between individuals, occurs in a wider range of mammalian orders with additional evidence from primates, mole-rats, goats and mice. Currently, the underlying mechanisms for convergence are unclear with vocal production learning but also usage learning or matching physiological states being possible explanations. For experimental studies, we highlight the importance of quantitative comparisons of seemingly learned sounds with vocal repertoires before learning started or with species repertoires to confirm novelty. Further studies on the mammalian orders presented here as well as others are needed to explore learning skills and limitations in greater detail. This article is part of the theme issue 'Vocal learning in animals and humans'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent M Janik
- Scottish Oceans Institute, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 8LB, UK
| | - Mirjam Knörnschild
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany.,Animal Behavior Lab, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Panama
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20
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Lameira AR, Alexandre A, Gamba M, Nowak MG, Vicente R, Wich S. Orangutan information broadcast via consonant-like and vowel-like calls breaches mathematical models of linguistic evolution. Biol Lett 2021; 17:20210302. [PMID: 34582737 PMCID: PMC8478518 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The origin of language is one of the most significant evolutionary milestones of life on Earth, but one of the most persevering scientific unknowns. Two decades ago, game theorists and mathematicians predicted that the first words and grammar emerged as a response to transmission errors and information loss in language's precursor system, however, empirical proof is lacking. Here, we assessed information loss in proto-consonants and proto-vowels in human pre-linguistic ancestors as proxied by orangutan consonant-like and vowel-like calls that compose syllable-like combinations. We played back and re-recorded calls at increasing distances across a structurally complex habitat (i.e. adverse to sound transmission). Consonant-like and vowel-like calls degraded acoustically over distance, but no information loss was detected regarding three distinct classes of information (viz. individual ID, context and population ID). Our results refute prevailing mathematical predictions and herald a turning point in language evolution theory and heuristics. Namely, explaining how the vocal–verbal continuum was crossed in the hominid family will benefit from future mathematical and computational models that, in order to enjoy empirical validity and superior explanatory power, will be informed by great ape behaviour and repertoire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriano R Lameira
- Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.,School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, Scotland, UK
| | | | - Marco Gamba
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Matthew G Nowak
- Sumatran Orangutan Research Programme, PanEco-YEL, North Sumatra, Indonesia.,Department of Anthropology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA
| | - Raquel Vicente
- Independent researcher, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Serge Wich
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.,Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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21
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Human larynx motor cortices coordinate respiration for vocal-motor control. Neuroimage 2021; 239:118326. [PMID: 34216772 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Revised: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocal flexibility is a hallmark of the human species, most particularly the capacity to speak and sing. This ability is supported in part by the evolution of a direct neural pathway linking the motor cortex to the brainstem nucleus that controls the larynx the primary sound source for communication. Early brain imaging studies demonstrated that larynx motor cortex at the dorsal end of the orofacial division of motor cortex (dLMC) integrated laryngeal and respiratory control, thereby coordinating two major muscular systems that are necessary for vocalization. Neurosurgical studies have since demonstrated the existence of a second larynx motor area at the ventral extent of the orofacial motor division (vLMC) of motor cortex. The vLMC has been presumed to be less relevant to speech motor control, but its functional role remains unknown. We employed a novel ultra-high field (7T) magnetic resonance imaging paradigm that combined singing and whistling simple melodies to localise the larynx motor cortices and test their involvement in respiratory motor control. Surprisingly, whistling activated both 'larynx areas' more strongly than singing despite the reduced involvement of the larynx during whistling. We provide further evidence for the existence of two larynx motor areas in the human brain, and the first evidence that laryngeal-respiratory integration is a shared property of both larynx motor areas. We outline explicit predictions about the descending motor pathways that give these cortical areas access to both the laryngeal and respiratory systems and discuss the implications for the evolution of speech.
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22
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Motes-Rodrigo A, Tennie C. The Method of Local Restriction: in search of potential great ape culture-dependent forms. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:1441-1461. [PMID: 33779036 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Humans possess a perhaps unique type of culture among primates called cumulative culture. In this type of culture, behavioural forms cumulate changes over time, which increases their complexity and/or efficiency, eventually making these forms culture-dependent. As changes cumulate, culture-dependent forms become causally opaque, preventing the overall behavioural form from being acquired by individuals on their own; in other words, culture-dependent forms must be copied between individuals and across generations. Despite the importance of cumulative culture for understanding the evolutionary history of our species, how and when cumulative culture evolved is still debated. One of the challenges faced when addressing these questions is how to identify culture-dependent forms that result from cumulative cultural evolution. Here we propose a novel method to identify the most likely cases of culture-dependent forms. The 'Method of Local Restriction' is based on the premise that as culture-dependent forms are repeatedly transmitted via copying, these forms will unavoidably cumulate population-specific changes (due to copying error) and therefore must be expected to become locally restricted over time. When we applied this method to our closest living relatives, the great apes, we found that most known ape behavioural forms are not locally restricted (across domains and species) and thus are unlikely to be acquired via copying. Nevertheless, we found 25 locally restricted forms across species and domains, three of which appear to be locally unique (having been observed in a single population of a single species). Locally unique forms represent the best current candidates for culture-dependent forms in non-human great apes. Besides these rare exceptions, our results show that overall, ape cultures do not rely heavily on copying, as most ape behaviours appear across sites and/or species, rendering them unlikely to be culture-dependent forms resulting from cumulative cultural evolution. Yet, the locally restricted forms (and especially the three locally unique forms) identified by our method should be tested further for their potential reliance on copying social learning mechanisms (and in turn, for their potential culture-dependence). Future studies could use the Method of Local Restriction to investigate the existence of culture-dependent forms in other animal species and in the hominin archaeological record to estimate how widespread copying is in the animal kingdom and to postulate a timeline for the emergence of copying in our lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alba Motes-Rodrigo
- Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Claudio Tennie
- Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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23
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Tennie C, van Schaik CP. Spontaneous (minimal) ritual in non-human great apes? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190423. [PMID: 32594873 PMCID: PMC7423263 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The potential for rituals in non-human great apes (apes) is an understudied topic. We derive a minimal definition of ritual and then examine the currently available evidence for it in untrained and non-enculturated apes. First, we examine whether such apes show evidence for the two main components of our minimal definition of ritual: symbolism and copying. Second, we examine if there are actual cases already identifiable today that may fit all aspects of our minimal definition of ritual-or whether there are at least cases that fit some aspects (proto-ritual). We find that apes are not likely to spontaneously practise minimal ritual, but we claim that the highest expected likelihood of occurrence is in the results-copying domain. Yet, we did not find actual cases of minimal ritual in apes-including those involving environmental results. We did, however, find some cases that may match at least part of our minimal ritual definition-which we termed proto-ritual. At least two out of three potential cases of such proto-rituals that we identified (rain dance, object-in-ear and surplus nest-making procedures) do revolve around results. Overall, apes do not show much, or very clear, evidence for even minimal ritual, but may sometimes show proto-ritual. However, dedicated ape ritual studies are currently lacking, and future work may identify ape ritual (or clearer cases of proto-ritual). We discuss the implications of our preliminary finding for inferences of ritual in the last common ancestor of humans and apes. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ritual renaissance: new insights into the most human of behaviours'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Tennie
- Department for Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, University of Tübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
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24
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Fröhlich M, Kunz J, Fryns C, Falkner S, Rukmana E, Schuppli M, Knief U, Utami Atmoko SS, Schuppli C, van Noordwijk MA. Social interactions and interaction partners in infant orang-utans of two wild populations. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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25
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Lengagne T, Ferrandiz-Rovira M, Superbie C, Figueroa I, Bichet C, Claramunt-Lopez B, Cohas A. Geographic variation in marmots’ alarm calls causes different responses. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02858-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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26
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Gentry KE, Lewis RN, Glanz H, Simões PI, Nyári ÁS, Reichert MS. Bioacoustics in cognitive research: Applications, considerations, and recommendations. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2020; 11:e1538. [PMID: 32548958 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2019] [Revised: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The multifaceted ability to produce, transmit, receive, and respond to acoustic signals is widespread in animals and forms the basis of the interdisciplinary science of bioacoustics. Bioacoustics research methods, including sound recording and playback experiments, are applicable in cognitive research that centers around the processing of information from the acoustic environment. We provide an overview of bioacoustics techniques in the context of cognitive studies and make the case for the importance of bioacoustics in the study of cognition by outlining some of the major cognitive processes in which acoustic signals are involved. We also describe key considerations associated with the recording of sound and its use in cognitive applications. Based on these considerations, we provide a set of recommendations for best practices in the recording and use of acoustic signals in cognitive studies. Our aim is to demonstrate that acoustic recordings and stimuli are valuable tools for cognitive researchers when used appropriately. In doing so, we hope to stimulate opportunities for innovative cognitive research that incorporates robust recording protocols. This article is categorized under: Neuroscience > Cognition Psychology > Theory and Methods Neuroscience > Behavior Neuroscience > Cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine E Gentry
- Division of Habitat and Species Conservation, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| | - Rebecca N Lewis
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.,Chester Zoo, Chester, UK
| | - Hunter Glanz
- Statistics Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California, USA
| | - Pedro I Simões
- Departmento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil
| | - Árpád S Nyári
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Michael S Reichert
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
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27
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Fröhlich M, van Schaik CP. Must all signals be evolved? A proposal for a new classification of communicative acts. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2020; 11:e1527. [PMID: 32180368 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
While signals in evolutionary biology are usually defined as "acts or traits that have evolved because of their effect on others", work on gestures and vocalizations in various animal taxa have revealed population- or even individual-specific meanings of social signals. These results strongly suggest that communicative acts that are like signals with regard to both form and function (meaning) can also be acquired ontogenetically, and we discuss direct evidence for such plasticity in captive settings with rich opportunities for repeated social interactions with the same individuals. Therefore, in addition to evolved signals, we can recognize invented signals that are acquired during ontogeny (either through ontogenetic ritualization or social transmission). Thus, both gestures and vocalizations can be inventions or innate adaptations. We therefore propose to introduce innate versus invented signals as major distinct categories, with invented signals subdivided into dyad-specific and cultural signals. We suggest that elements of some signals may have mixed origins, and propose criteria to recognize acquired features of signals. We also suggest that invented signals may be most common in species with intentional communication, consistent with their ubiquity in humans, and that the ability to produce them was a necessary condition for the evolution of language. This article is categorized under: Cognitive Biology > Evolutionary Roots of Cognition Linguistics > Evolution of Language Psychology > Comparative Psychology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlen Fröhlich
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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28
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Lameira AR, Call J. Understanding Language Evolution: Beyond Pan-Centrism. Bioessays 2020; 42:e1900102. [PMID: 31994246 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201900102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Language does not fossilize but this does not mean that the language's evolutionary timeline is lost forever. Great apes provide a window back in time on our last prelinguistic ancestor's communication and cognition. Phylogeny and cladistics implicitly conjure Pan (chimpanzees, bonobos) as a superior (often the only) model for language evolution compared with earlier diverging lineages, Gorilla and Pongo (orangutans). Here, in reviewing the literature, it is shown that Pan do not surpass other great apes along genetic, cognitive, ecologic, or vocal traits that are putatively paramount for language onset and evolution. Instead, revived herein is the idea that only by abandoning single-species models and learning about the variation among great apes, there might be a chance to retrieve lost fragments of the evolutionary timeline of language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriano R Lameira
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, South Street, KY16 9JP, St Andrews, UK.,Deparment of Psychology, University of Warwick, University Road, CV4 7AL, Coventry, UK
| | - Josep Call
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, South Street, KY16 9JP, St Andrews, UK
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29
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Prieur J, Barbu S, Blois‐Heulin C, Lemasson A. The origins of gestures and language: history, current advances and proposed theories. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2019; 95:531-554. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Revised: 11/30/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jacques Prieur
- Department of Education and PsychologyComparative Developmental Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
- Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Ethologie animale et humaine) – UMR 6552 F‐35380 Paimpont France
| | - Stéphanie Barbu
- Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Ethologie animale et humaine) – UMR 6552 F‐35380 Paimpont France
| | - Catherine Blois‐Heulin
- Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Ethologie animale et humaine) – UMR 6552 F‐35380 Paimpont France
| | - Alban Lemasson
- Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Ethologie animale et humaine) – UMR 6552 F‐35380 Paimpont France
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30
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Lameira AR, Shumaker RW. Orangutans show active voicing through a membranophone. Sci Rep 2019; 9:12289. [PMID: 31444387 PMCID: PMC6707206 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-48760-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Active voicing - voluntary control over vocal fold oscillation - is essential for speech. Nonhuman great apes can learn new consonant- and vowel-like calls, but active voicing by our closest relatives has historically been the hardest evidence to concede to. To resolve this controversy, a diagnostic test for active voicing is reached here through the use of a membranophone: a musical instrument where a player's voice flares a membrane's vibration through oscillating air pressure. We gave the opportunity to use a membranophone to six orangutans (with no effective training), three of whom produced a priori novel (species-atypical) individual-specific vocalizations. After 11 and 34 min, two subjects were successful by producing their novel vocalizations into the instrument, hence, confirming active voicing. Beyond expectation, however, within <1 hour, both subjects found opposite strategies to significantly alter their voice duration and frequency to better activate the membranophone, further demonstrating plastic voice control as a result of experience with the instrument. Results highlight how individual differences in vocal proficiency between great apes may affect performance in experimental tests. Failing to adjust a test's difficulty level to individuals' vocal skill may lead to false negatives, which may have largely been the case in past studies now used as "textbook fact" for great ape "missing" vocal capacities. Results qualitatively differ from small changes that can be caused in innate monkey calls by intensive months-long conditional training. Our findings verify that active voicing beyond the typical range of the species' repertoire, which in our species underpins the acquisition of new voiced speech sounds, is not uniquely human among great apes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriano R Lameira
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, St Andrews, UK. .,Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, UK.
| | - Robert W Shumaker
- Indianapolis Zoo, Indianapolis, USA.,Krasnow Institute for Advanced Studies, George Mason University, Fairfax, USA.,Anthropology Department, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA
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31
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Ramsay MS, Teichroeb JA. Anecdotes in Primatology: Temporal Trends, Anthropocentrism, and Hierarchies of Knowledge. AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/aman.13295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Malcolm S. Ramsay
- Department of Anthropology and School of the EnvironmentUniversity of Toronto Toronto ON Canada M5S 2S2
| | - Julie A. Teichroeb
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of Toronto Toronto ON Canada M5S 2S2
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of Toronto Scarborough Toronto ON Canada M1C 1A4
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32
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Leavens DA, Bard KA, Hopkins WD. The mismeasure of ape social cognition. Anim Cogn 2019; 22:487-504. [PMID: 28779278 PMCID: PMC6647540 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-017-1119-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2016] [Revised: 07/08/2017] [Accepted: 07/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
In his classic analysis, Gould (The mismeasure of man, WW Norton, New York, 1981) demolished the idea that intelligence was an inherent, genetic trait of different human groups by emphasizing, among other things, (a) its sensitivity to environmental input, (b) the incommensurate pre-test preparation of different human groups, and (c) the inadequacy of the testing contexts, in many cases. According to Gould, the root cause of these oversights was confirmation bias by psychometricians, an unwarranted commitment to the idea that intelligence was a fixed, immutable quality of people. By virtue of a similar, systemic interpretive bias, in the last two decades, numerous contemporary researchers in comparative psychology have claimed human superiority over apes in social intelligence, based on two-group comparisons between postindustrial, Western Europeans and captive apes, where the apes have been isolated from European styles of social interaction, and tested with radically different procedures. Moreover, direct comparisons of humans with apes suffer from pervasive lapses in argumentation: Research designs in wide contemporary use are inherently mute about the underlying psychological causes of overt behavior. Here we analyze these problems and offer a more fruitful approach to the comparative study of social intelligence, which focuses on specific individual learning histories in specific ecological circumstances.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Leavens
- School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QH, UK.
| | - Kim A Bard
- University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
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Gesture Use in Communication between Mothers and Offspring in Wild Orang-Utans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) from the Sabangau Peat-Swamp Forest, Borneo. INT J PRIMATOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-019-00095-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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Is the consonant bias specifically human? Long-Evans rats encode vowels better than consonants in words. Anim Cogn 2019; 22:839-850. [PMID: 31222546 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-019-01280-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Revised: 05/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
In natural languages, vowels tend to convey structures (syntax, prosody) while consonants are more important lexically. The consonant bias, which is the tendency to rely more on consonants than on vowels to process words, is well attested in human adults and infants after the first year of life. Is the consonant bias based on evolutionarily ancient mechanisms, potentially present in other species? The current study investigated this issue in a species phylogenetically distant from humans: Long-Evans rats. During training, the animals were presented with four natural word-forms (e.g., mano, "hand"). We then compared their responses to novel words carrying either a consonant (pano) or a vowel change (meno). Results show that the animals were less disrupted by consonantal alterations than by vocalic alterations of words. That is, word recognition was more affected by the alteration of a vowel than a consonant. Together with previous findings in very young human infants, this reliance on vocalic information we observe in rats suggests that the emergence of the consonant bias may require a combination of vocal, cognitive and auditory skills that rodents do not seem to possess.
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Deshpande A, Gupta S, Sinha A. Intentional communication between wild bonnet macaques and humans. Sci Rep 2018; 8:5147. [PMID: 29650972 PMCID: PMC5897542 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22928-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Accepted: 03/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Comparative studies of nonhuman communication systems could provide insights into the origins and evolution of a distinct dimension of human language: intentionality. Recent studies have provided evidence for intentional communication in different species but generally in captive settings. We report here a novel behaviour of food requesting from humans displayed by wild bonnet macaques Macaca radiata, an Old World cercopithecine primate, in the Bandipur National Park of southern India. Using both natural observations and field experiments, we examined four different behavioural components—coo-calls, hand-extension gesture, orientation, and monitoring behaviour—of food requesting for their conformity with the established criteria of intentional communication. Our results suggest that food requesting by bonnet macaques is potentially an intentionally produced behavioural strategy as all the food requesting behaviours except coo-calls qualify the criteria for intentionality. We comment on plausible hypotheses for the origin and spread of this novel behavioural strategy in the study macaque population and speculate that the cognitive precursors for language production may be manifest in the usage of combination of signals of different modalities in communication, which could have emerged in simians earlier than in the anthropoid apes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adwait Deshpande
- Consciousness Studies Programme, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India.
| | - Shreejata Gupta
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition Programme, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India
| | - Anindya Sinha
- Consciousness Studies Programme, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India.,Animal Behaviour and Cognition Programme, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore, India.,Primate Programme, Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore, India.,Centre for Neuroscience, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.,Dhole's Den Research Foundation, Bandipur National Park, Karnataka, India
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Belyk M, Johnson JF, Kotz SA. Poor neuro-motor tuning of the human larynx: a comparison of sung and whistled pitch imitation. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:171544. [PMID: 29765635 PMCID: PMC5936900 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.171544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2017] [Accepted: 03/13/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Vocal imitation is a hallmark of human communication that underlies the capacity to learn to speak and sing. Even so, poor vocal imitation abilities are surprisingly common in the general population and even expert vocalists cannot match the precision of a musical instrument. Although humans have evolved a greater degree of control over the laryngeal muscles that govern voice production, this ability may be underdeveloped compared with control over the articulatory muscles, such as the tongue and lips, volitional control of which emerged earlier in primate evolution. Human participants imitated simple melodies by either singing (i.e. producing pitch with the larynx) or whistling (i.e. producing pitch with the lips and tongue). Sung notes were systematically biased towards each individual's habitual pitch, which we hypothesize may act to conserve muscular effort. Furthermore, while participants who sung more precisely also whistled more precisely, sung imitations were less precise than whistled imitations. The laryngeal muscles that control voice production are under less precise control than the oral muscles that are involved in whistling. This imprecision may be due to the relatively recent evolution of volitional laryngeal-motor control in humans, which may be tuned just well enough for the coarse modulation of vocal-pitch in speech.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Belyk
- Bloorview Research Institute, 150 Kilgour Road, Toronto, CanadaM4G 1R8
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Joseph F. Johnson
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Sonja A. Kotz
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human and Cognitive Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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FOXP2 variation in great ape populations offers insight into the evolution of communication skills. Sci Rep 2017; 7:16866. [PMID: 29203828 PMCID: PMC5715162 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-16844-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 11/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The gene coding for the forkhead box protein P2 (FOXP2) is associated with human language disorders. Evolutionary changes in this gene are hypothesized to have contributed to the emergence of speech and language in the human lineage. Although FOXP2 is highly conserved across most mammals, humans differ at two functional amino acid substitutions from chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas, with an additional fixed substitution found in orangutans. However, FOXP2 has been characterized in only a small number of apes and no publication to date has examined the degree of natural variation in large samples of unrelated great apes. Here, we analyzed the genetic variation in the FOXP2 coding sequence in 63 chimpanzees, 11 bonobos, 48 gorillas, 37 orangutans and 2 gibbons and observed undescribed variation in great apes. We identified two variable polyglutamine microsatellites in chimpanzees and orangutans and found three nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms, one in chimpanzees, one in gorillas and one in orangutans with derived allele frequencies of 0.01, 0.26 and 0.29, respectively. Structural and functional protein modeling indicate a biochemical effect of the substitution in orangutans, and because of its presence solely in the Sumatran orangutan species, the mutation may be associated with reported population differences in vocalizations.
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The origins of the vocal brain in humans. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 77:177-193. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2016] [Revised: 02/15/2017] [Accepted: 03/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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Vocal fold control beyond the species-specific repertoire in an orang-utan. Sci Rep 2016; 6:30315. [PMID: 27461756 PMCID: PMC4962094 DOI: 10.1038/srep30315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2016] [Accepted: 06/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocal fold control was critical to the evolution of spoken language, much as it today allows us to learn vowel systems. It has, however, never been demonstrated directly in a non-human primate, leading to the suggestion that it evolved in the human lineage after divergence from great apes. Here, we provide the first evidence for real-time, dynamic and interactive vocal fold control in a great ape during an imitation “do-as-I-do” game with a human demonstrator. Notably, the orang-utan subject skilfully produced “wookies” – an idiosyncratic vocalization exhibiting a unique spectral profile among the orang-utan vocal repertoire. The subject instantaneously matched human-produced wookies as they were randomly modulated in pitch, adjusting his voice frequency up or down when the human demonstrator did so, readily generating distinct low vs. high frequency sub-variants. These sub-variants were significantly different from spontaneous ones (not produced in matching trials). Results indicate a latent capacity for vocal fold exercise in a great ape (i) in real-time, (ii) up and down the frequency spectrum, (iii) across a register range beyond the species-repertoire and, (iv) in a co-operative turn-taking social setup. Such ancestral capacity likely provided the neuro-behavioural basis of the more fine-tuned vocal fold control that is a human hallmark.
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Gero S, Bøttcher A, Whitehead H, Madsen PT. Socially segregated, sympatric sperm whale clans in the Atlantic Ocean. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2016; 3:160061. [PMID: 27429766 PMCID: PMC4929901 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2016] [Accepted: 05/10/2016] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) are unusual in that there is good evidence for sympatric populations with distinct culturally determined behaviour, including potential acoustic markers of the population division. In the Pacific, socially segregated, vocal clans with distinct dialects coexist; by contrast, geographical variation in vocal repertoire in the Atlantic has been attributed to drift. We examine networks of acoustic repertoire similarity and social interactions for 11 social units in the Eastern Caribbean. We find the presence of two socially segregated, sympatric vocal clans whose dialects differ significantly both in terms of categorical coda types produced by each clan (Mantel test between clans: matrix correlation = 0.256; p ≤ 0.001) and when using classification-free similarity which ignores defined types (Mantel test between clans: matrix correlation = 0.180; p ≤ 0.001). The more common of the two clans makes a characteristic 1 + 1 + 3 coda, while the other less often sighted clan makes predominantly regular codas. Units were only observed associating with other units within their vocal clan. This study demonstrates that sympatric vocal clans do exist in the Atlantic, that they define a higher order level of social organization as they do in the Pacific, and suggests that cultural identity at the clan level is probably important in this species worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shane Gero
- Department of Zoophysiology, Institute of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Author for correspondence: Shane Gero e-mail:
| | - Anne Bøttcher
- Department of Zoophysiology, Institute of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Hal Whitehead
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
| | - Peter Teglberg Madsen
- Department of Zoophysiology, Institute of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Lemasson A, Jubin R, Masataka N, Arlet M. Copying hierarchical leaders' voices? Acoustic plasticity in female Japanese macaques. Sci Rep 2016; 6:21289. [PMID: 26880673 PMCID: PMC4754696 DOI: 10.1038/srep21289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2015] [Accepted: 01/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been historically claimed that call production in nonhuman primates has been shaped by genetic factors, although, recently socially-guided plasticity and cortical control during vocal exchanges have been observed. In humans, context-dependent vocal convergence with relatives, friends or leaders' voices can be found. Comparative studies with monkeys and apes presenting tolerant social organizations have demonstrated that affiliative bonding is the determining factor of convergence. We tested whether vocal copying could also exist in a primate species with a despotic social organization. We compared the degree of inter-individual similarity of contact calls in two groups of Japanese macaques as a function of age, dominance rank, maternal kin and affiliative bonds. We found a positive relationship between dyadic acoustic similarity and female rank differences. Since most call exchanges were initiated by dominant females and since this species is known for the ability of responders to acoustically match initiators' calls, we conclude that high social status may motivate vocal convergence in this despotic society. Accordingly, intra-individual comparisons showed that isolated calls were more stereotyped than exchanged calls, and that dominants had more stereotyped voices than subordinates. This opens new lines of research with regard to social motivation guiding acoustic plasticity in primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alban Lemasson
- Université de Rennes 1, Ethologie animale et humaine – C.N.R.S., Rennes, France
| | - Ronan Jubin
- Université de Rennes 1, Ethologie animale et humaine – C.N.R.S., Rennes, France
| | | | - Malgorzata Arlet
- Université de Rennes 1, Ethologie animale et humaine – C.N.R.S., Rennes, France
- Indian Institute of Science Education Research, School of Biology, Evolutionary Ecology Group, Trivandrum, India
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Pisanski K, Cartei V, McGettigan C, Raine J, Reby D. Voice Modulation: A Window into the Origins of Human Vocal Control? Trends Cogn Sci 2016; 20:304-318. [PMID: 26857619 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2016.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2015] [Revised: 01/05/2016] [Accepted: 01/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
An unresolved issue in comparative approaches to speech evolution is the apparent absence of an intermediate vocal communication system between human speech and the less flexible vocal repertoires of other primates. We argue that humans' ability to modulate nonverbal vocal features evolutionarily linked to expression of body size and sex (fundamental and formant frequencies) provides a largely overlooked window into the nature of this intermediate system. Recent behavioral and neural evidence indicates that humans' vocal control abilities, commonly assumed to subserve speech, extend to these nonverbal dimensions. This capacity appears in continuity with context-dependent frequency modulations recently identified in other mammals, including primates, and may represent a living relic of early vocal control abilities that led to articulated human speech.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Pisanski
- Mammal Vocal Communication and Cognition Research Group, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK; Institute of Psychology, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Valentina Cartei
- Mammal Vocal Communication and Cognition Research Group, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Carolyn McGettigan
- Royal Holloway Vocal Communication Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
| | - Jordan Raine
- Mammal Vocal Communication and Cognition Research Group, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - David Reby
- Mammal Vocal Communication and Cognition Research Group, School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
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Klump BC, Sugasawa S, St Clair JJH, Rutz C. Hook tool manufacture in New Caledonian crows: behavioural variation and the influence of raw materials. BMC Biol 2015; 13:97. [PMID: 26582537 PMCID: PMC4650250 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-015-0204-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2015] [Accepted: 10/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background New Caledonian crows use a range of foraging tools, and are the only non-human species known to craft hooks. Based on a small number of observations, their manufacture of hooked stick tools has previously been described as a complex, multi-stage process. Tool behaviour is shaped by genetic predispositions, individual and social learning, and/or ecological influences, but disentangling the relative contributions of these factors remains a major research challenge. The properties of raw materials are an obvious, but largely overlooked, source of variation in tool-manufacture behaviour. We conducted experiments with wild-caught New Caledonian crows, to assess variation in their hooked stick tool making, and to investigate how raw-material properties affect the manufacture process. Results In Experiment 1, we showed that New Caledonian crows’ manufacture of hooked stick tools can be much more variable than previously thought (85 tools by 18 subjects), and can involve two newly-discovered behaviours: ‘pulling’ for detaching stems and bending of the tool shaft. Crows’ tool manufactures varied significantly: in the number of different action types employed; in the time spent processing the hook and bending the tool shaft; and in the structure of processing sequences. In Experiment 2, we examined the interaction of crows with raw materials of different properties, using a novel paradigm that enabled us to determine subjects’ rank-ordered preferences (42 tools by 7 subjects). Plant properties influenced: the order in which crows selected stems; whether a hooked tool was manufactured; the time required to release a basic tool; and, possibly, the release technique, the number of behavioural actions, and aspects of processing behaviour. Results from Experiment 2 suggested that at least part of the natural behavioural variation observed in Experiment 1 is due to the effect of raw-material properties. Conclusions Our discovery of novel manufacture behaviours indicates a plausible scenario for the evolutionary origins, and gradual refinement, of New Caledonian crows’ hooked stick tool making. Furthermore, our experimental demonstration of a link between raw-material properties and aspects of tool manufacture provides an alternative hypothesis for explaining regional differences in tool behaviours observed in New Caledonian crows, and some primate species. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12915-015-0204-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara C Klump
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Sir Harold Mitchell Building, St Andrews, KY16 9TH, UK.
| | - Shoko Sugasawa
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Sir Harold Mitchell Building, St Andrews, KY16 9TH, UK.
| | - James J H St Clair
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Sir Harold Mitchell Building, St Andrews, KY16 9TH, UK.
| | - Christian Rutz
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Sir Harold Mitchell Building, St Andrews, KY16 9TH, UK.
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Watts DP. Production of grooming-associated sounds by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) at Ngogo: variation, social learning, and possible functions. Primates 2015; 57:61-72. [PMID: 26546459 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-015-0497-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2015] [Accepted: 10/11/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) use some communicative signals flexibly and voluntarily, with use influenced by learning. These signals include some vocalizations and also sounds made using the lips, oral cavity, and/or teeth, but not the vocal tract, such as "attention-getting" sounds directed at humans by captive chimpanzees and lip smacking during social grooming. Chimpanzees at Ngogo, in Kibale National Park, Uganda, make four distinct sounds while grooming others. Here, I present data on two of these ("splutters" and "teeth chomps") and consider whether social learning contributes to variation in their production and whether they serve social functions. Higher congruence in the use of these two sounds between dyads of maternal relatives than dyads of non-relatives implies that social learning occurs and mostly involves vertical transmission, but the results are not conclusive and it is unclear which learning mechanisms may be involved. In grooming between adult males, tooth chomps and splutters were more likely in long than in short bouts; in bouts that were bidirectional rather than unidirectional; in grooming directed toward high-ranking males than toward low-ranking males; and in bouts between allies than in those between non-allies. Males were also more likely to make these sounds while they were grooming other males than while they were grooming females. These results are expected if the sounds promote social bonds and induce tolerance of proximity and of grooming by high-ranking males. However, the alternative hypothesis that the sounds are merely associated with motivation to groom, with no additional social function, cannot be ruled out. Limited data showing that bouts accompanied by teeth chomping or spluttering at their initiation were longer than bouts for which this was not the case point toward a social function, but more data are needed for a definitive test. Comparison to other research sites shows that the possible existence of grooming-specific sound dialects in chimpanzees deserves further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- David P Watts
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, P.O. Box 208277, New Haven, CT, 06520-8277, USA.
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Hammerschmidt K, Schreiweis C, Minge C, Pääbo S, Fischer J, Enard W. A humanized version of Foxp2 does not affect ultrasonic vocalization in adult mice. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2015; 14:583-90. [PMID: 26250064 DOI: 10.1111/gbb.12237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2015] [Revised: 07/29/2015] [Accepted: 07/29/2015] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The transcription factor FOXP2 has been linked to severe speech and language impairments in humans. An analysis of the evolution of the FOXP2 gene has identified two amino acid substitutions that became fixed after the split of the human and chimpanzee lineages. Studying the functional consequences of these two substitutions in the endogenous Foxp2 gene of mice showed alterations in dopamine levels, striatal synaptic plasticity, neuronal morphology and cortico-striatal-dependent learning. In addition, ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) of pups had a significantly lower average pitch than control littermates. To which degree adult USVs would be affected in mice carrying the 'humanized' Foxp2 variant remained unclear. In this study, we analyzed USVs of 68 adult male mice uttered during repeated courtship encounters with different females. Mice carrying the Foxp2(hum/hum) allele did not differ significantly in the number of call elements, their element structure or in their element composition from control littermates. We conclude that neither the structure nor the usage of USVs in adult mice is affected by the two amino acid substitutions that occurred in FOXP2 during human evolution. The reported effect for pup vocalization thus appears to be transient. These results are in line with accumulating evidence that mouse USVs are hardly influenced by vocal learning. Hence, the function and evolution of genes that are necessary, but not sufficient for vocal learning in humans, must be either studied at a different phenotypic level in mice or in other organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Hammerschmidt
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - C Schreiweis
- Institut Necker-Enfants Malades (INEM), Centre de Médecine Moléculaire, CS Paris, France
| | - C Minge
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - S Pääbo
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - J Fischer
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - W Enard
- Department of Biology II, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Martinsried, Germany
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Briseño-Jaramillo M, Estrada A, Lemasson A. Behavioural innovation and cultural transmission of communication signal in black howler monkeys. Sci Rep 2015; 5:13400. [PMID: 26303965 PMCID: PMC4548217 DOI: 10.1038/srep13400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2015] [Accepted: 07/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Social traditions based on communication signals are widespread in birds, cetaceans and humans, but surprisingly rare in nonhuman primates known for having genetically-determined vocal repertoires. This study presents the first description of a singular case of behaviour associated with calling (placing a hand in front of the mouth while vocalizing: HFM) in black howler monkeys. We showed, first, that HFM was found only in a subset of the groups observed, at the same geographical location, and was age- and sex-specific. There was an audience effect on HFM, with highest rates when a neighbouring group was visible. HFM was non-randomly combined with audio-visual signals and always performed while roaring. High HFM rates triggered more vocal responses from group members and male neighbours, and HFM signalers temporally synchronized their behaviour in a predictable way. Finally, the positioning of the hand systematically modified the call's auditory structure. Altogether these results support the idea that HFM is an innovated, culturally transmitted communication signal that may play a role in inter-group competition and intra-group cohesion. This study opens new lines of research about how nonhuman primates developed strategies to overcome their constraints in acoustic plasticity very early in the primate lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Briseño-Jaramillo
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Instituto de Biología, Coyoacán, 04510. México City
| | - A. Estrada
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Instituto de Biología, Coyoacán, 04510. México City
| | - A. Lemasson
- Université de Rennes 1, Ethologie Animale et Humaine, U.M.R. 6552 - C.N.R.S, Station Biologique, 35380 Paimpont, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, 103 boulevard Saint-Michel 75005 Paris, France
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The forgotten role of consonant-like calls in theories of speech evolution. Behav Brain Sci 2015; 37:559-60; discussion 577-604. [PMID: 25514949 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x1300407x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Ackermann et al. provide an informative neurological road-map to primate call communication. However, the proposed model for speech evolution inadequately integrates comparative primate evidence. Critically, great ape voiceless calls are explicitly rendered unimportant, leaving the proposed model deprived of behavioral feedstock and proximate selective drivers capable of triggering the neurological transformations described by the authors in the primate brain.
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Zuberbühler K. Linguistic capacity of non‐human animals. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2015; 6:313-21. [DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2014] [Revised: 10/09/2014] [Accepted: 11/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Klaus Zuberbühler
- Department of Comparative CognitionUniversity of NeuchatelNeuchatelSwitzerland
- School of Psychology & NeuroscienceUniversity of St AndrewsSt AndrewsUK
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Speech-like rhythm in a voiced and voiceless orangutan call. PLoS One 2015; 10:e116136. [PMID: 25569211 PMCID: PMC4287529 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0116136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2014] [Accepted: 12/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolutionary origins of speech remain obscure. Recently, it was proposed that speech derived from monkey facial signals which exhibit a speech-like rhythm of ∼5 open-close lip cycles per second. In monkeys, these signals may also be vocalized, offering a plausible evolutionary stepping stone towards speech. Three essential predictions remain, however, to be tested to assess this hypothesis' validity; (i) Great apes, our closest relatives, should likewise produce 5Hz-rhythm signals, (ii) speech-like rhythm should involve calls articulatorily similar to consonants and vowels given that speech rhythm is the direct product of stringing together these two basic elements, and (iii) speech-like rhythm should be experience-based. Via cinematic analyses we demonstrate that an ex-entertainment orangutan produces two calls at a speech-like rhythm, coined “clicks” and “faux-speech.” Like voiceless consonants, clicks required no vocal fold action, but did involve independent manoeuvring over lips and tongue. In parallel to vowels, faux-speech showed harmonic and formant modulations, implying vocal fold and supralaryngeal action. This rhythm was several times faster than orangutan chewing rates, as observed in monkeys and humans. Critically, this rhythm was seven-fold faster, and contextually distinct, than any other known rhythmic calls described to date in the largest database of the orangutan repertoire ever assembled. The first two predictions advanced by this study are validated and, based on parsimony and exclusion of potential alternative explanations, initial support is given to the third prediction. Irrespectively of the putative origins of these calls and underlying mechanisms, our findings demonstrate irrevocably that great apes are not respiratorily, articulatorilly, or neurologically constrained for the production of consonant- and vowel-like calls at speech rhythm. Orangutan clicks and faux-speech confirm the importance of rhythmic speech antecedents within the primate lineage, and highlight potential articulatory homologies between great ape calls and human consonants and vowels.
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Hedwig D, Mundry R, Robbins MM, Boesch C. Contextual correlates of syntactic variation in mountain and western gorilla close-distance vocalizations: Indications for lexical or phonological syntax? Anim Cogn 2014; 18:423-35. [DOI: 10.1007/s10071-014-0812-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2014] [Revised: 09/22/2014] [Accepted: 09/25/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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