Origin of SpeechMarc Verhaegen

Mario Vaneechoutte

Human EvolutionPast, Present & Future

Friday May 10th 2013Grange St. Paul’s Hotel, London, UK

LANGUAGE MUSIC

Crucial questions about human languageI. What skills are sufficient and necessary for language to evolve/emerge/exist?

II. How was spoken language (speech) selected? Could language have acted as its own naturally (sexually) selective force? i.e.: better language more offspring (1)

Is language unique to humans?When did language originate?

III. How do children manage to absorb whatever random grammar?1. Is there universal grammar? (Chomsky, Pinker) Is grammar innate? (Chomsky, Pinker)2. How important are word order (most linguists), prosody, body language and context

as clues to acquire the syntax of a language?

IV. May singing abilities have predisposed to speech? (2)

V. May a semi-aquatic lifestyle have predisposed to voluntary breath control, improved vocal dexterity, improved song,and vocal learning, and enlarged brains? (3)

1. Pinker S. 1994. The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language. Willam Morrow.2. Vaneechoutte M, Skoyles JR. 1998. The memetic origin of language: modern humans as musical primates. Journal of Memetics: 2. ttp://users.ugent.be/~mvaneech/ORILA.FIN.html3. Vaneechoutte M, Munro S, Verhaegen M. 2011. Seafood, Diving, Song and Speech Pp.181-189. In Vaneechoutte et al. Was Man more aquatic in the past? Bentham eBooks.

1. Cognitive abilities: Large brain 2. Vocal dexterity: sound/speech production: Common among singing species

voluntary breath control: rare among terrestrial animalsdescended larynx: flexible tongue: major formantvocal (formant) dexterity: flexible globular tongue,

closed dentition muscled lips

3. Vocal learning: sound/speech reproduction: Rare among (terrestrial) mammals

4. Comprehension: Make sense of (random) phonology and (random) syntax. By children!

I. What skills are sufficient and necessary for language to evolve/emerge/exist?

II. How was spoken language (speech) selected? Could it have acted as its own naturally (sexually) selective force?

Bloom, Pinker (1): YES, just as better sight is selective pressure that explains complex eye better communication ability is selective pressure that explains symbolic language

But: Speech cannot have been naturally selected in the same straightforward manner as the complex eye, for several reasons1. Speech is assumed to be unique to humans,

the explanation must also account for the uniqueness of speech.

2. Speech is generally assumed to be recent (max 170 000 years) it originated too late to have acted as its own selective force.

3. Independent lines of evolution need to be explained to make speech possible:1. Vocal dexterity: better sound/speech production

2. Vocal learning: sound mimicking: Rare among (terrestrial) mammals3. Cognitive abilities: Large brain4. Linking (random) phonology and (random) syntax to the real world. By children!

These can only be understood as pre-adaptations for speech, but originally selected/developed for other functionalities.

1. Pinker S. 1994. The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language. Willam Morrow.

Darwin. 1871. The descent of Man"(Language) is certainly not a true instinct, …”

↔ Pinker: The Language Instinct (1)

“the actual (bird) songs,..., are no more innate then language is in man.“ ↔ Pinker, Chomsky: grammar is innate

“the actual (bird) songs,. …, are learnt from their parents or foster-parents for every language has to be learnt. “

↔ Pinker, Bloom: “A group of unattended children will develop language” (2)

1. Pinker S. 1994. The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language. Willam Morrow.2. Kenneally C. 2007. The First Word. Penguin Books.

III. How do children manage to absorb whatever random grammar?1. Do humans have universal grammar and innate syntax? (1, 2)

1. All possible word orders (Subject, Verb, Object) can be usedSVO Cows eat grass English, Finnish, Chinese, SwahiliSOV Cows grass eat Turkish, Hindu, JapaneseVSO Eat cows grass Welsh, classic Arabic, SamoanVOS Eat grass cows Malagasy (Madagascar), Tzotzil (Mayan)OSV Grass cows eat Kabardian (Northern Caucasus)OVS Grass eat cows Hixkaryana (Brazil)Whatever: Finnish/Hungarian - Greek

No order in WORD ORDER

III. How do children manage to absorb whatever random grammar?1. Do humans have universal grammar and innate syntax? (1, 2)

2. Word order can change during language evolution:Medieval English: The hye god, whan he hadde Adam maked (Canterbury Tales, 1390)Modern English: The high god, when he had made Adam

3. Every word order is possible, depending on language: Turkish, Hindu, Japanese = reversed of English, Chinese English, Chinese = reversed of Turkish, Hindu, Japanese

NO: There is everything but …. Universal GrammarGrammar is a random convention

1. Chomsky N. 1957. Syntactical structures. Mouton.2. Pinker S. 1994. The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language. Willam Morrow.

Linguists have been/are obsessed with WORD ORDER and its importance for syntaxDeutscher G. (1):“Primitive language relied on one single strategy: ordering of its words”

But: WORD ORDER is not even necessary for syntax1. Word order is not important in some languages:

Finnish/Hungarian – Greek can use whatever word order.

III. How do children manage to absorb whatever random grammar?2. Is word order most important for syntax?

The Maria (acc.) her fired the Yanis (nom.)

The Yanis (nom.) her fired the Maria (acc.)

Her fired the Maria (acc.) the Yanis (nom.)

Her fired the Yanis (nom.) the Maria (acc.)

1. Deutscher G. 2007. The unfolding of language. Picador.

For example: 10 sentences (out of many more) with identical word order but different prosody & context different meaning

Declarative/Confirmative1. You are going to school: Declarative, answering the question ‘What will I do next?’2. Yóu are going to school: you, and not your sister, declarative, answering the question ‘Who?’3. You are going to schóol: you go to school and not to the pub: answering the question ‘Where?’Imperative4. You are going to school!: General imperative5. Yóu! are going to school!: You, and not your sister, are going to school7. You are going to schóol!: You go to school and not to the pub

WORD ORDER is not even necessary for syntaxIn conferring meaning to a sentence, word order is of not of major importanceAlso prosody: intonation, loudness, rhythm, pitch, pitch contour context body language (facial expression, gesture)

III. How do children manage to absorb whatever random grammar?2. Is word order most important for syntax?

Questioning8. You are going to school?: General interrogative (written: reversal of word order, question mark)9. You are going to schóol?: Is it to school that you are going?10. Yóu? are going to school?: Is it really you who is going to school? I had never expected that.

‘Hungry’ means the opposite of ‘Hungry’Hungry? Do you want some food? I’ll give you some ↕HUNGRY!! I strongly would appreciate it when you brought me some food

‘Great’ means the opposite of ‘Great’Congratulations! GREÁT!

↕Look now what you’ve done. Now you’ve ruined it completely Greàt!?

Remark how written language lacks the means to convey all these differences

Most linguists studied written language, not real language

PHONOLOGY is not even necessary for semanticsIn conferring meaning to a sentence, phonology is of not of major importanceAlso prosody: intonation, loudness, rhythm, pitch, pitch contour context body language (facial expression, gesture)

III. How do children manage to absorb whatever random grammar?3. Is phonology most important for semantics?

III. How do children manage to absorb whatever random grammar?4. Children make use of prosody, body language and context to make sense of random sequences of random sounds

May singing abilities have predisposed to language?

“Importance of prosody (= melody of speech) in communication with infants is further supported by studies of infant processing of complex auditory patterns.

1989. Child Developm 60: 1497-1510.

Vaneechoutte M, Skoyles JR. 1998. The memetic origin of language: modern humans as musical primates. Journal of Memetics: 2. http://users.ugent.be/~mvaneech/ORILA.FIN.html

6 month olds: extract melodic contour in a tonal sequence, infants encode information on ‘melodic contour’ as opposed to absolute frequencies“This [holistic] mode of processing auditory information could enable infants to encode the melodic patterns of infant-directed speech and recognize these characteristic melodies

across variations in speaker, segmental content and pitch range”

Mampe B et al. 2009. Curr Biol 19: 1994-1997Kuhl PK. 2004. Nature Rev. Neuroscience 5: 831

III. How do children manage to absorb whatever random grammar?3. Children make use of prosody, body language and context to make sense of random sequences: syntax

of random sounds: phonologyMay singing abilities have predisposed to language?

III. How do children manage to absorb whatever random grammar?3. Children make use of prosody, body language and context to make sense of random sequences: syntax

of random sounds: phonology

Syntactic structure in music:hierarchical patterns of tension and relaxation

Syntactic structure in language:hierarchical phrase structure

Patel AD. 2003. Nature Neuroscience 6: 674-681.

May singing abilities have predisposed to language?

LEFTLanguage MusicEarly Later

RIGHTLanguage MusicLater Early

III. How do children manage to absorb whatever random grammar?3. Children make use of prosody, body language and context to make sense of random sequences: syntax

of random sounds: phonology

Main differences Language and Music Syntax: not localisation, but intensity & timing

IV. May singing abilities have predisposed to speech?

IV.1. Darwin’s suggestion: We sang before we spoke: Song preceeds language

IV.2. Is song important in human lives?: It is central to human life & explains social structure

dance, rite, trance, bonding memorizing techniques, localisations

monogamy, pair bondinggroup bonding: us vs them

IV.3. Music improves mental/memory/motoric abilities including those for speech

IV.4. Song = dance, speech = gesture: sound/movement are flip sides of the same coin

IV. May singing abilities have predisposed to speech?IV.1. Song preceeds languagemost plausible assumption for several reasons

Pinker S: Music is a byproduct of language:“I suspect music is auditory cheesecake: … a delightful dessert but, from an evolutionary perspective, no more than a by-product of language.”

BUT: several arguments for song to preceed speech (= most parsimonious explanation):* Song is present in many species ↔ Speech is unique to mankind Singing/musicality can be easily naturally selected, as has occurred several times

* Infants prefer song over speech (1)

* Vocal flexibility (sound & tone repertoire) needed for song is much higher than for speech. + different languages use very different segments of the total possible repertoire: it can be assumed that these abilities were developed for song, not for speech.

Darwin C. 1871. The Descent of Man:“Before we used language as we know it today, we sang, producing true musical cadences in courtship.”

Darwin C. 1872. The expressions of the emotions in man and animals:“I maintain that the habit of uttering music sounds was first developed, as a means of courtship, in the early progenitors of man, ...“

1. Trehub SE, Nakata T. 2001. Emotion and music in infancy. Musicae Scientiae, Special Issue 2001–2002: 37–59.

1. At present:Music industry is among the biggest on Earth:

e.g. concerts with 100 000 peopleMusic all day long on 1000s of radio stationsParties, dance and music to meet, …

2. Song was the means to memorize knowledge/abilities/proceduresNgaa Ruuira Pumanawawhiti: (http://www.maoriboygenius.com/about/)“Maori didn’t have a written language. So we learn songs, we learn dances about everything like fishing. A song will tell us how to look for the fish and we would sing it as we went fishing.”

3. Monogamy/Sexual selectionMost song birds are monogamousOnly 3% of mammals are monogamous: most of them singTropical birds and tropical primates sing in duetsMany women fall in love with musicians.

4. Strong group bonding: us vs them anthems, national hymns, marching songs, supporters’ chants a sense of belonging (Vaneechoutte & Skoyles. 1998)

Humans are the most musical primates [mammals, animals]Vaneechoutte M, Skoyles JR. 1998. The memetic origin of language: modern humans as musical primates. Journal of Memetics: 2. http://users.ugent.be/~mvaneech/ORILA.FIN.html

IV. May singing abilities have predisposed to speech?IV.2. Song is central in human life explains social structure of our species

1. Alzheimer patient choirs: patients remember the songs and the melody.

2. Music training improves mathematical abilities (1).

3. Music training improves motoric skills (2)

4. Music improves speech abilities (1, 3)

IV. May singing abilities have predisposed to speech?IV.3. Music improves mental/memory/motoric abilities

including those for speech: phonetic abilities

1. Patel AD. 2011. Frontiers Psychol. 2, 142: 1-13.2. Brown J, Sherrill C, Gench B. 1981. Perceptual & Motor Skills 53: 151-154.3. Schön et al. 2004. Psychophysiol. 41: 341-349.

(3)

(1)

Singing and dancing are intrinsically linked: when humans dance they sing

when they sing, they start moving

Speech and gesture are intrinsically linked

IV. May singing abilities have predisposed to speech?IV.4. Song = dance, speech = gesture: Sound & Movement are flip sides of the same coin (1)

Mirror neurons

1. Kenneally C. 2007. The First Word. Penguin Books.

IV. May singing abilities have predisposed to speech?Summary

1. Song preceeds speech: * Song in many species, but speech is unique to human species* We have much more phonetic abilities than needed for speech* Speech is a recent phenomenon

2. Song/music/dance are central in human evolution (pair bonding, group bonding) and in present day life

3. Musicality = song/dance, can explain the intrinsic link between speech/gesturetwo flip sides of the same coin also see! Vocal learning

4. Singing may improve the production of speech:improving vocal dexterity (phonetic abilities)improving breath controllaryngeal descent?

5. Most importantly: syntax comprehension:Children can learn whatever random linguistic syntax by listening to the prosodic (melody of speech) clues of language: motherese, early syntactical abilities.

V. Semi-aquatic lifestyle may have predisposed to enlarged brains, voluntary breath control, improved vocal flexibility, improved song and vocal learning

V.1. Large brains: Seafood omega 3 short chain fatty acids enabling SGRAP2 duplications?

V.2. Voluntary breath control: See next talk … Diving? Song?

V.3. Vocal dexterity/flexibility: production Feeding on slippery seafood? Song?

V.4. Singing: production Well-developed in many aquatic mammals, not in terrestrial mammals

V.5. Vocal learning: reproduction/mimickingSuch vocal learning plays a crucial role in articulate speech, helping to generate the large vocabulary required by language (Fitch. 2000)

Not in primates Very limited in singing primates Not in terrestrial mammals (exc. elephant) But in sea mammals and birds: what is the connector between these disjoint groups??

[V.6. Descended larynx] For diving? For feeding on slippery (sea) food? For song?

Fitch WT. 2000. The evolution of speech: a comparative review. Trends Cogn Sci 4: 258-267.

3.4 mya

2.4 mya

1.0 mya

Geschwind DH, Konopka G. 2012. Nature 486: 481-482.Dennis MY et al. 2012. Cell 149: 912–922. Charrier C et al. 2012. Cell 149: 923–935.

V. May a semi-aquatic lifestyle have predisposed to voluntary breath control, improved vocal dexterity, improved song,and vocal learning, and enlarged brains?V.1. Large brains because of seafood?Gene duplications bigger, more flexible brainWhy this mutation only in our species and not in other primates? Only in our species the right brain food available?

Omega 3 Long Chain Fatty Acids from seafood?

SRGAP2 gene

22

Vocal dexterity: better sound production song speech voluntary breath control: rare among terrestrial animals. Common among (semi-)aquatics descended larynx mouth breathing? increased flexibility of tongue oral (formant) dexterity: Marc Verhaegen:

Feeding on slippery aquatic foods (cfr. walruses?) might explain our flat faces vaulted soft palateclosed parabolic tooth row (with small canines)mouth that can be closed by muscled, fleshy, everted lipsround globular tongue that can close the airways while feeding

Remark:Song itself could have reinforced vocal dexterity, breath control, increased descent of larynx

V.2. Voluntary breath controlV.3. Vocal dexterity/flexibility

V. May a semi-aquatic lifestyle have predisposed to voluntary breath control, improved vocal dexterity, improved song, and vocal learning, and enlarged brains?

Gorilla Pan Homo

Song Speech production

W. Tecumseh Fitch:

“… vocal learning has evolved independently in our species since our divergence with chimpanzees.” (1)

“Thus, when it comes to accomplished vocal imitation, humans are members of a strangely disjoint group that includes birds and aquatic mammals, but excludes our nearest relatives, the apes and other primates. (2)

1. Fitch WT. 2006. The biology and evolution of music: A comparative perspective. Cognition 100: 173-215.2. Fitch WT. 2000. The evolution of speech: a comparative review. Trends Cogn Sci 4: 258-267.

V.5. Vocal learningnot in primates. but: in birds and sea mammals. What have these strangely disjoint groups in common??

V. May a semi-aquatic lifestyle have predisposed to voluntary breath control, improved vocal dexterity, improved song, and vocal learning, and enlarged brains?

IV.4. Singing: best developed in birds and aquatic mammals

Kuhl PK. 2003. PNAS 100: 9645-9646.

V.5. Vocal learning: reproduction/mimicking:

Strong similarities between young birds learning song and infants learning language

Humans Birds1. Listening 2. Rehearsal (auditory feedback) 3. Production

FULL 3 D MOVEMENT

Elephants(M+F) Hummingbirds

(M?) + backward flight

Mice(M)

Humans(M+F)

Song birds(M, M+F)

Paradise birds(M) + dance

Dolphins(M+F)

Bats(M+F)

Whales(M)

Pinnipeds(M+F)

Gibbons/Siamang(M+F)

Several primates

Parrots(M+F?

Psittaciformes)

BIRDSMAMMALS

VOCAL LEARNING(FoxP2?)

AIRBORNE

AQUATIC

Rapid 3-D movement mimicking: air or waterSchools of fishFlocks of birdSquids: movement + pigmentation mimicking

PAST? FULL 3 D MOVEMENT

V.5. Vocal learning: reproduction/mimicking: What have vocal learners in common??What connects these ‘disjoint’ groups??

Sirenians(M)

Elephants: past aquatics?

1. Closest relatives of the Sirenia: manatees, dugongs

2.

3.

Primate emotional song (gibbon, siamang) Diving Full 3-D motion Vocal learning Voluntary breath control ? Descended larynx tongue flexibility Seafood Oral musculature Large brain

Symbolic speech PROSODY

Human complex song Prosodic deciphering MELODY of random syntax

Vocal dexterity

Singing abilities in turn may have contributed to increased laryngeal descent increased vocal dexterityimproved pitch perceptionimproved voluntary breath control

Summary: a possible screenplay for the origin of language, based on a semi-aquatic past of human ancestors: WATER

and the musical abilities of humans: SONG

Downloadable at http://users.ugent.be/~mvaneech/Index.html