scholarly journals Voice modulatory cues to structure across languages and species

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1840) ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa Matzinger ◽  
W. Tecumseh Fitch
Keyword(s):  
Social Impact ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Vocal Production ◽  
Cognitive Constraints ◽  
Vocal Signals ◽  
Efficient Communication ◽  
Shared Ancestry ◽  
Voice Modulation

Voice modulatory cues such as variations in fundamental frequency, duration and pauses are key factors for structuring vocal signals in human speech and vocal communication in other tetrapods. Voice modulation physiology is highly similar in humans and other tetrapods due to shared ancestry and shared functional pressures for efficient communication. This has led to similarly structured vocalizations across humans and other tetrapods. Nonetheless, in their details, structural characteristics may vary across species and languages. Because data concerning voice modulation in non-human tetrapod vocal production and especially perception are relatively scarce compared to human vocal production and perception, this review focuses on voice modulatory cues used for speech segmentation across human languages, highlighting comparative data where available. Cues that are used similarly across many languages may help indicate which cues may result from physiological or basic cognitive constraints, and which cues may be employed more flexibly and are shaped by cultural evolution. This suggests promising candidates for future investigation of cues to structure in non-human tetrapod vocalizations. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Voice modulation: from origin and mechanism to social impact (Part I)’.

scholarly journals Vocal size exaggeration may have contributed to the origins of vocalic complexity

2021 ◽  
Vol 377 (1841) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Pisanski ◽  
Andrey Anikin ◽  
David Reby
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Vocal Tract ◽  
Similar Extent ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Articulatory Movements ◽  
Animal Vocalizations ◽  
Second Formant ◽  
Voice Modulation

Vocal tract elongation, which uniformly lowers vocal tract resonances (formant frequencies) in animal vocalizations, has evolved independently in several vertebrate groups as a means for vocalizers to exaggerate their apparent body size. Here, we propose that smaller speech-like articulatory movements that alter only individual formants can serve a similar yet less energetically costly size-exaggerating function. To test this, we examine whether uneven formant spacing alters the perceived body size of vocalizers in synthesized human vowels and animal calls. Among six synthetic vowel patterns, those characterized by the lowest first and second formant (the vowel /u/ as in ‘boot’) are consistently perceived as produced by the largest vocalizer. Crucially, lowering only one or two formants in animal-like calls also conveys the impression of a larger body size, and lowering the second and third formants simultaneously exaggerates perceived size to a similar extent as rescaling all formants. As the articulatory movements required for individual formant shifts are minor compared to full vocal tract extension, they represent a rapid and energetically efficient mechanism for acoustic size exaggeration. We suggest that, by favouring the evolution of uneven formant patterns in vocal communication, this deceptive strategy may have contributed to the origins of the phonemic diversification required for articulated speech. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Voice modulation: from origin and mechanism to social impact (Part II)’.

scholarly journals The neural control of volitional vocal production—from speech to identity, from social meaning to song

2021 ◽  
Vol 377 (1841) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie K. Scott
Keyword(s):  
Speech Production ◽  
Neural Control ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Vocal Production ◽  
Flexible System ◽  
Human Voice ◽  
Social Traits ◽  
Neural Underpinnings ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Voice Modulation

The networks of cortical and subcortical fields that contribute to speech production have benefitted from many years of detailed study, and have been used as a framework for human volitional vocal production more generally. In this article, I will argue that we need to consider speech production as an expression of the human voice in a more general sense. I will also argue that the neural control of the voice can and should be considered to be a flexible system, into which more right hemispheric networks are differentially recruited, based on the factors that are modulating vocal production. I will explore how this flexible network is recruited to express aspects of non-verbal information in the voice, such as identity and social traits. Finally, I will argue that we need to widen out the kinds of vocal behaviours that we explore, if we want to understand the neural underpinnings of the true range of sound-making capabilities of the human voice. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Voice modulation: from origin and mechanism to social impact (Part II)’.

scholarly journals Vocal communication across cultures: theoretical and methodological issues

2021 ◽  
Vol 377 (1841) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory A. Bryant
Keyword(s):  
Social Impact ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Human Communication ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Cultural Variations ◽  
Speech Research ◽  
Voice Modulation ◽  
Behavioural Sciences

The study of human vocal communication has been conducted primarily in Western, educated, industrialized, rich, democratic (WEIRD) societies. Recently, cross-cultural investigations in several domains of voice research have been expanding into more diverse populations. Theoretically, it is important to understand how universals and cultural variations interact in vocal production and perception, but cross-cultural voice research presents many methodological challenges. Experimental methods typically used in WEIRD societies are often not possible to implement in many populations such as rural, small-scale societies. Moreover, theoretical and methodological issues are often unnecessarily intertwined. Here, I focus on three areas of cross-cultural voice modulation research: (i) vocal signalling of formidability and dominance, (ii) vocal emotions, and (iii) production and perception of infant-directed speech. Research in these specific areas illustrates challenges that apply more generally across the human behavioural sciences but also reveals promise as we develop our understanding of the evolution of human communication. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Voice modulation: from origin and mechanism to social impact (Part II)’.

scholarly journals Frontal cortex activity underlying the production of diverse vocal signals during social communication in marmoset monkeys

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lingyun Zhao ◽  
Xiaoqin Wang
Keyword(s):  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Single Neuron ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Theta Band ◽  
Vocal Production ◽  
Signal Features ◽  
Vocal Signals ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Temporal Structures ◽  
Marmoset Monkeys

Vocal communication is essential for social behaviors in humans and many non-human primates. While the frontal cortex has been shown to play a crucial role in human speech production, its role in vocal production in non-human primates has long been questioned. Recent studies have shown activation in single neurons in the monkey frontal cortex during vocal production in relatively isolated environment. However, little is known about how the frontal cortex is engaged in vocal production in ethologically relevant social context, where different types of vocal signals are produced for various communication purposes. Here we studied single neuron activities and local field potentials (LFP) and in the frontal cortex of marmoset monkeys while the animal engaged in vocal exchanges with other conspecifics in a social environment. Marmosets most frequently produced four types of vocalizations with distinct acoustic structures, three of which were typically not produced in isolation. We found that both single neuron activities and LFP were modulated by the production of each of the four call types. Moreover, the neural modulations in the frontal cortex showed distinct patterns for different call types, suggesting a representation of vocal signal features. In addition, we found that theta-band LFP oscillations were phase-locked to the phrases of twitter calls, which indicates the coordination of temporal structures of vocalizations. Our results suggested important functions of the marmoset frontal cortex in supporting the production of diverse vocalizations in vocal communication.

scholarly journals Musicality in human vocal communication: an evolutionary perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 377 (1841) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan David Leongómez ◽  
Jan Havlíček ◽  
S. Craig Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Social Bonds ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Evolutionary Perspective ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Human Infants ◽  
Voice Modulation

Studies show that specific vocal modulations, akin to those of infant-directed speech (IDS) and perhaps music, play a role in communicating intentions and mental states during human social interaction. Based on this, we propose a model for the evolution of musicality—the capacity to process musical information—in relation to human vocal communication. We suggest that a complex social environment, with strong social bonds, promoted the appearance of musicality-related abilities. These social bonds were not limited to those between offspring and mothers or other carers, although these may have been especially influential in view of altriciality of human infants. The model can be further tested in other species by comparing levels of sociality and complexity of vocal communication. By integrating several theories, our model presents a radically different view of musicality, not limited to specifically musical scenarios, but one in which this capacity originally evolved to aid parent–infant communication and bonding, and even today plays a role not only in music but also in IDS, as well as in some adult-directed speech contexts. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Voice modulation: from origin and mechanism to social impact (Part II)’.

Cognitive Constraints on Learning to Read in Children with an Intellectual Disability Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelien van Wingerden ◽  
Arjan van Tilborg ◽  
Hans van Balkom
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Disabilities ◽  
Hard Of Hearing ◽  
Literacy Education ◽  
Hearing Impairments ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Learning To Read ◽  
Written Text ◽  
Cognitive Constraints ◽  
Developmental Domains ◽  
The Way

Learning to read is challenging for children who have hearing impairments and concurrent intellectual disabilities because they face barriers due to both conditions. In many developmental domains, including executive functioning and language development, auditory and intellectual disabilities mutually influence each other; a deficit in one domain hinders coping mechanisms to compensate for distortions in the other. The resulting impact is more than the sum of the parts. It affects the way students learn to read and the way they process written text in many ways. Little is known about the key factors in literacy development for children with both hearing impairments and intellectual disabilities. This chapter integrates recent findings on reading development in children with both of these conditions to define a research base for two exploratory studies on literacy attainment in these learners. Recommendations for literacy education are based on these studies.

scholarly journals Discrimination of natural acoustic variation in vocal signals

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam R. Fishbein ◽  
Nora H. Prior ◽  
Jane A. Brown ◽  
Gregory F. Ball ◽  
Robert J. Dooling
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Finch ◽  
Acoustic Communication ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Speech Sounds ◽  
Vocal Signals ◽  
Acoustic Variation ◽  
Zebra Finch Song ◽  
Human Listener

AbstractStudies of acoustic communication often focus on the categories and units of vocalizations, but subtle variation also occurs in how these signals are uttered. In human speech, it is not only phonemes and words that carry information but also the timbre, intonation, and stress of how speech sounds are delivered (often referred to as “paralinguistic content”). In non-human animals, variation across utterances of vocal signals also carries behaviorally relevant information across taxa. However, the discriminability of these cues has been rarely tested in a psychophysical paradigm. Here, we focus on acoustic communication in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), a songbird species in which the male produces a single stereotyped motif repeatedly in song bouts. These motif renditions, like the song repetitions of many birds, sound very similar to the casual human listener. In this study, we show that zebra finches can easily discriminate between the renditions, even at the level of single song syllables, much as humans can discriminate renditions of speech sounds. These results support the notion that sensitivity to fine acoustic details may be a primary channel of information in zebra finch song, as well as a shared, foundational property of vocal communication systems across species.

Performance Determinants in Family Business

2022 ◽  
pp. 153-174
Author(s):  
Joana Costa
Keyword(s):  
Local Development ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Informal Networks ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Internal Factors ◽  
Performance Determinants ◽  
Collective Innovation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Innovation Processes

Family businesses (FBs) are central to economies: in Portugal the impact of these structures reaches 2/3 of the GDP, 1/2 of the labour force, and 4/5 of the firms in operation, most of them being SMEs. These organisations play a central role in terms of job creation, local development, knowledge transfer, and territorial cohesion. Innovative activities are key factors for competitive economies; yet innovation increases risk exposure and FBs are conservative and risk adverse, resisting change, relying on internal factors rather than opening to the external environment, consequently postponing innovation and thus pledging their future. Their embedded culture reduces innovative propensity; still, the existence loyalty trust and informal networks enhance individual or collective innovation processes. Using a dataset of 110 FBs innovation and internationalization along with other structural characteristics are connected to their economic performance, shedding light on the determinants FB economic efficiency. Given their importance, made-to-measure policy schemes should be designed.

The Phylogenetic Roots of Language

2005 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 126-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Zuberbühler
Keyword(s):  
Physical Environment ◽  
Cognitive Complexity ◽  
Nonhuman Primates ◽  
Vocal Tract ◽  
Semantic Content ◽  
Vocal Behavior ◽  
Primate Cognition ◽  
Vocal Production ◽  
Psychological States ◽  
Vocal Signals

The anatomy of the nonhuman primate vocal tract is not fundamentally different from the human one. Notwithstanding, nonhuman primates are remarkably unskillful at controlling vocal production and at combining basic call units into more complex strings. Instead, their vocal behavior is linked to specific psychological states, which are evoked by events in their social or physical environment. Humans are the only primates that have evolved the ability to produce elaborate and willfully controlled vocal signals, although this may have been a fairly recent invention. Despite their expressive limitations, nonhuman primates have demonstrated a surprising degree of cognitive complexity when responding to other individuals' vocalizations, suggesting that, as recipients, crucial linguistic abilities are part of primate cognition. Pivotal aspects of language comprehension, particularly the ability to process semantic content, may thus be part of our primate heritage. The strongest evidence currently comes from Old World monkeys, but recent work indicates that these capacities may also be present in our closest relatives, the chimpanzees.

scholarly journals Meso level Social Impact: Meaningful Indicators of Community Contribution

2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 18-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Edwards ◽  
Jenny Onyx ◽  
Hazel Maxwell ◽  
Simon Darcy
Keyword(s):  
Return On Investment ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Meso Level ◽  
Social Return On Investment ◽  
Third Sector Organisations ◽  
Community Contribution ◽  
Specific Outcome ◽  
Societal Impacts

Social impact measures are not widely agreed, nor implemented by third sector organisations. Meso level indicators of social impact are underdeveloped. Financialised methods such as Social Return on Investment can only account for direct outcomes of defined programs and activities. The broader societal impacts of any such activities are undervalued. This paper outlines the findings of a grounded theoretical approach to determining measures of social impact within a large Australian iconic third sector organisation. Several key factors revealed in this study are discussed in regards to their potential for attributing social impact to organisational activities outside of a program specific outcome. Based on these findings the paper concludes that the development of a tool to measure meso level organisational social impact of third sector organisations may be attainable.

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