From birdsong to speech: a plea for comparative approaches

Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências

Dietmar Todt¹ 

[1] ,Free University of Berlin Institute of Biology Department of Behavioural BiologyBerlin,Germany

关键词: song learning;    language acquisition;    speech segmentation;    units of interaction;    signal repertoires;    aprendizagem do canto;    aquisição da linguagem;    segmentação da fala;    unidades de interação;    repertórios de sinais;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S0001-37652004000200003

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

Human language and speech are unique accomplishments. Nevertheless, they share a number of characteristics with other systems of communication, and investigators have thus compared them to birdsong and the vocal signaling of nonhuman primates. Particular interesting parallels concern the development of singing and speaking. These behaviors rely on auditory perception, subsequent memorization and finally, the generation of vocal imitations. Several mechanisms help young individuals to deal with the various challenges during the time of signal development. Specific differences aside, astounding parallels can be found also in how a human and a particularly accomplished bird like the Common Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos treat the experience of many different sound patterns or songs. As a consequence of such exposure, both human infants and young birds eventually acquire large repertoires of verbal or vocal signals. These achievements, however, require access to specific memory mechanisms which are well adapted to the purposes they serve, thereby allowing them to fulfil their species typical roles. With such aspects as a reference, birdsong is an excellent biological model for memory research and also an appropriate system for the study of evolutionary strategies in a very successful class of organisms.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
 All the contents of this journal, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License