51
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Fitch WT. Sequence and hierarchy in vocal rhythms and phonology. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2019; 1453:29-46. [PMID: 31410865 PMCID: PMC6790714 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Revised: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
I explore the neural and evolutionary origins of phonological hierarchy, building on Peter MacNeilage's frame/content model, which suggests that human speech evolved from primate nonvocal jaw oscillations, for example, lip smack displays, combined with phonation. Considerable recent data, reviewed here, support this proposition. I argue that the evolution of speech motor control required two independent components. The first, identified by MacNeilage, is the diversification of phonetic "content" within a simple sequential "frame," and would be within reach of nonhuman primates, by simply intermittently activating phonation during lip smack displays. Such voicing control requires laryngeal control, hypothesized to necessitate direct corticomotor connections to the nucleus ambiguus. The second component, proposed here, involves imposing additional hierarchical rhythmic structure upon the "flat" control sequences typifying mammalian vocal tract oscillations and is required for the flexible combinatorial capacity observed in modern phonology. I hypothesize that phonological hierarchy resulted from a marriage of a preexisting capacity for sequential structure seen in other primates, with novel hierarchical motor control circuitry (potentially evolved in tool use and/or musical contexts). In turn, this phonological hierarchy paved the way for phrasal syntactic hierarchy. I support these arguments using comparative and neural data from nonhuman primates and birdsong.
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52
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Filippi P, Hoeschele M, Spierings M, Bowling DL. Temporal modulation in speech, music, and animal vocal communication: evidence of conserved function. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2019; 1453:99-113. [DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2019] [Revised: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Piera Filippi
- Laboratoire Parole et Langage, LPL UMR 7309, Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueAix‐Marseille Université Aix‐en‐Provence France
- Institute of Language, Communication and the Brain, Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueAix‐Marseille Université Aix‐en‐Provence France
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive LPC UMR 7290, Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueAix‐Marseille Université Marseille France
| | - Marisa Hoeschele
- Acoustics Research InstituteAustrian Academy of Science Vienna Austria
- Department of Cognitive BiologyUniversity of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | | | - Daniel L. Bowling
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral SciencesStanford University School of Medicine Stanford California
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53
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Miyagawa S, Clarke E. Systems Underlying Human and Old World Monkey Communication: One, Two, or Infinite. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1911. [PMID: 31551849 PMCID: PMC6734162 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Using artificially synthesized stimuli, previous research has shown that cotton-top tamarin monkeys easily learn simple AB grammar sequences, but not the more complex AnBn sequences that require hierarchical structure. Humans have no trouble learning AnBn combinations. A more recent study, using similar artificially created stimuli, showed that there is a neuroanatomical difference in the brain between these two kinds of arrays. While the simpler AB sequences recruit the frontal operculum, the AnBn array recruits the phylogenetically newer Broca's area. We propose that on close inspection, reported vocal repertoires of Old World Monkeys show that these nonhuman primates are capable of calls that have two items in them, but never more than two. These are simple AB sequences, as predicted by previous research. In addition, we suggest the two-item call cannot be the result of a combinatorial operation that we see in human language, where the recursive operation of Merge allows for a potentially infinite array of structures. In our view, the two-item calls of nonhuman primates result from a dual-compartment frame into which each of the calls can fit without having to be combined by an operation such as Merge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigeru Miyagawa
- Linguistics and Philosophy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Office of Open Learning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Esther Clarke
- Linguistics and Philosophy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Behavioral Ecology and Evolution Research (BEER) Group, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
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54
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de Boer B. Evolution of Speech: Anatomy and Control. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2019; 62:2932-2945. [PMID: 31465707 DOI: 10.1044/2019_jslhr-s-csmc7-18-0293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Purpose This article critically reviews work on the evolution of speech in the context of motor control. It presents a brief introduction to the field of language evolution, of which the study of the evolution of speech is an integral component, and argues why taking the evolutionary perspective is useful. It then proceeds to review different methods of studying evolutionary questions: comparative research, experimental and observational research, and computer and mathematical modeling. Conclusions On the basis of comparative analysis of related species (specifically, other great apes) and on the basis of theoretical results, this article argues that adaptations for speech must have evolved gradually and that it is likely that speech motor control is one of the key aspects that has undergone observable selection related to speech, because, in this area, all the necessary precursors are present in closely related species. This implies that it must be possible to find empirical evidence for how speech evolved in the area of speech motor control. However, such research is only in its infancy at the present moment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bart de Boer
- Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
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55
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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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56
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Siman-Tov T, Granot RY, Shany O, Singer N, Hendler T, Gordon CR. Is there a prediction network? Meta-analytic evidence for a cortical-subcortical network likely subserving prediction. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 105:262-275. [PMID: 31437478 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2019] [Revised: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 08/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Predictive coding is an increasingly influential and ambitious concept in neuroscience viewing the brain as a 'hypothesis testing machine' that constantly strives to minimize prediction error, the gap between its predictions and the actual sensory input. Despite the invaluable contribution of this framework to the formulation of brain function, its neuroanatomical foundations have not been fully defined. To address this gap, we conducted activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis of 39 neuroimaging studies of three functional domains (action perception, language and music) inherently involving prediction. The ALE analysis revealed a widely distributed brain network encompassing regions within the inferior and middle frontal gyri, anterior insula, premotor cortex, pre-supplementary motor area, temporoparietal junction, striatum, thalamus/subthalamus and the cerebellum. This network is proposed to subserve domain-general prediction and its relevance to motor control, attention, implicit learning and social cognition is discussed in light of the predictive coding scheme. Better understanding of the presented network may help advance treatments of neuropsychiatric conditions related to aberrant prediction processing and promote cognitive enhancement in healthy individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tali Siman-Tov
- Sagol Brain Institute Tel Aviv, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel; Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| | - Roni Y Granot
- Musicology Department, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ofir Shany
- Sagol Brain Institute Tel Aviv, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel; School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Neomi Singer
- Sagol Brain Institute Tel Aviv, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Talma Hendler
- Sagol Brain Institute Tel Aviv, Wohl Institute for Advanced Imaging, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel; Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Carlos R Gordon
- Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Department of Neurology, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel
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57
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Blasi DE, Moran S, Moisik SR, Widmer P, Dediu D, Bickel B. Human sound systems are shaped by post-Neolithic changes in bite configuration. Science 2019; 363:363/6432/eaav3218. [PMID: 30872490 DOI: 10.1126/science.aav3218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2018] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Linguistic diversity, now and in the past, is widely regarded to be independent of biological changes that took place after the emergence of Homo sapiens We show converging evidence from paleoanthropology, speech biomechanics, ethnography, and historical linguistics that labiodental sounds (such as "f" and "v") were innovated after the Neolithic. Changes in diet attributable to food-processing technologies modified the human bite from an edge-to-edge configuration to one that preserves adolescent overbite and overjet into adulthood. This change favored the emergence and maintenance of labiodentals. Our findings suggest that language is shaped not only by the contingencies of its history, but also by culturally induced changes in human biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- D E Blasi
- Department of Comparative Linguistics, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland. .,Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany.,Human Relations Area Files, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.,Laboratory of Quantitative Linguistics, Kazan Federal University, 420000 Kazan, Russia
| | - S Moran
- Department of Comparative Linguistics, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland.,Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - S R Moisik
- Division of Linguistics and Multilingual Studies, Nanyang Technological University, 637332 Singapore
| | - P Widmer
- Department of Comparative Linguistics, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland.,Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - D Dediu
- Laboratoire Dynamique Du Langage UMR 5596, Université Lumière Lyon 2, 69363 Lyon Cedex 07, France.,Language and Genetics Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, 6525 XD Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - B Bickel
- Department of Comparative Linguistics, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland.,Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
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58
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Abstract
Language is a cornerstone of human culture, yet the evolution of this cognitive-demanding ability is shrouded in mystery. Studying how different species demonstrate this trait can provide clues for its evolutionary route. Indeed, recent decades saw ample scientific attempts to compare human speech, the prominent behavioral manifestation of language, with other animals' vocalizations. Diligent studies have found only elementary parallels to speech in other animals, fortifying the belief that language is uniquely human. But have we really tested this uniqueness claim? Surprisingly, a true impartial comparison between human speech and other animals' vocalizations has hardly ever been conducted. Here, I illustrate how treating humans as an equal species in vocal-communication research is expected to provide us with no evidence for human superiority in this realm. Thus, novel balanced and unbiased comparative studies are vital for identifying any unique component of human speech and language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yosef Prat
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University
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59
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Versace E, Rogge JR, Shelton-May N, Ravignani A. Positional encoding in cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus). Anim Cogn 2019; 22:825-838. [PMID: 31264123 PMCID: PMC6687687 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-019-01277-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2019] [Revised: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Strategies used in artificial grammar learning can shed light into the abilities of different species to extract regularities from the environment. In the A(X)nB rule, A and B items are linked, but assigned to different positional categories and separated by distractor items. Open questions are how widespread is the ability to extract positional regularities from A(X)nB patterns, which strategies are used to encode positional regularities and whether individuals exhibit preferences for absolute or relative position encoding. We used visual arrays to investigate whether cotton-top tamarins (Saguinusoedipus) can learn this rule and which strategies they use. After training on a subset of exemplars, two of the tested monkeys successfully generalized to novel combinations. These tamarins discriminated between categories of tokens with different properties (A, B, X) and detected a positional relationship between non-adjacent items even in the presence of novel distractors. The pattern of errors revealed that successful subjects used visual similarity with training stimuli to solve the task and that successful tamarins extracted the relative position of As and Bs rather than their absolute position, similarly to what has been observed in other species. Relative position encoding appears to be favoured in different tasks and taxa. Generalization, though, was incomplete, since we observed a failure with items that during training had always been presented in reinforced arrays, showing the limitations in grasping the underlying positional rule. These results suggest the use of local strategies in the extraction of positional rules in cotton-top tamarins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Versace
- Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 4NS, UK.
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA.
| | - Jessica R Rogge
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
| | | | - Andrea Ravignani
- Artificial Intelligence Lab, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
- Language and Cognition Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, 6525 XD, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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60
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61
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Searcy WA. Animal communication, cognition, and the evolution of language. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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62
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63
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Guidi LG, Velayos‐Baeza A, Martinez‐Garay I, Monaco AP, Paracchini S, Bishop DVM, Molnár Z. The neuronal migration hypothesis of dyslexia: A critical evaluation 30 years on. Eur J Neurosci 2018; 48:3212-3233. [PMID: 30218584 PMCID: PMC6282621 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Revised: 08/06/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The capacity for language is one of the key features underlying the complexity of human cognition and its evolution. However, little is known about the neurobiological mechanisms that mediate normal or impaired linguistic ability. For developmental dyslexia, early postmortem studies conducted in the 1980s linked the disorder to subtle defects in the migration of neurons in the developing neocortex. These early studies were reinforced by human genetic analyses that identified dyslexia susceptibility genes and subsequent evidence of their involvement in neuronal migration. In this review, we examine recent experimental evidence that does not support the link between dyslexia and neuronal migration. We critically evaluate gene function studies conducted in rodent models and draw attention to the lack of robust evidence from histopathological and imaging studies in humans. Our review suggests that the neuronal migration hypothesis of dyslexia should be reconsidered, and the neurobiological basis of dyslexia should be approached with a fresh start.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luiz G. Guidi
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and GeneticsUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Wellcome Centre for Human GeneticsUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Antonio Velayos‐Baeza
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and GeneticsUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Wellcome Centre for Human GeneticsUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Isabel Martinez‐Garay
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and GeneticsUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Division of NeuroscienceSchool of BiosciencesCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | | | | | | | - Zoltán Molnár
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and GeneticsUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
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64
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Koda H, Kunieda T, Nishimura T. From hand to mouth: monkeys require greater effort in motor preparation for voluntary control of vocalization than for manual actions. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:180879. [PMID: 30564395 PMCID: PMC6281949 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.180879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Voluntary control of vocal production is an essential component of the language faculty, which is thought to distinguish humans from other primates. Recent experiments have begun to reveal the capability of non-human primates to perform vocal control; however, the mechanisms underlying this ability remain unclear. Here, we revealed that Japanese macaque monkeys can learn to vocalize voluntarily through a different mechanism than that used for manual actions. The monkeys rapidly learned to touch a computer monitor when a visual stimulus was presented and showed a capacity for flexible adaptation, such that they reacted when the visual stimulus was shown at an unexpected time. By contrast, successful vocal training required additional time, and the monkeys exhibited difficulty with vocal execution when the visual stimulus appeared earlier than expected; this occurred regardless of extensive training. Thus, motor preparation before execution of an action may be a key factor in distinguishing vocalization from manual actions in monkeys; they do not exhibit a similar ability to perform motor preparation in the vocal domains. By performing direct comparisons, this study provides novel evidence regarding differences in motor control abilities between vocal and manual actions. Our findings support the suggestion that the functional expansion from hand to mouth might be a critical evolutionary event for the acquisition of voluntary control of vocalizations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroki Koda
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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65
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Winkler M, Mueller JL, Friederici AD, Männel C. Infant cognition includes the potentially human-unique ability to encode embedding. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2018; 4:eaar8334. [PMID: 30474053 PMCID: PMC6248967 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aar8334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Human cognition relies on the ability to encode complex regularities in the input. Regularities above a certain complexity level can involve the feature of embedding, defined by nested relations between sequential elements. While comparative studies suggest the cognitive processing of embedding to be human specific, evidence of its ontogenesis is lacking. To assess infants' ability to process embedding, we implemented nested relations in tone sequences, minimizing perceptual and memory requirements. We measured 5-month-olds' brain responses in two auditory oddball paradigms, presenting standard sequences with one or two levels of embedding, interspersed with infrequent deviant sequences violating the established embedding rules. Brain potentials indicate that infants detect embedding violations and thus appear to track nested relations. This shows that the ability to encode embedding may be part of the basic human cognitive makeup, which might serve as scaffolding for the acquisition of complex regularities in language or music.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Winkler
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstr. 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School on Neuroscience of Communication (IMPRS NeuroCom), Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstr. 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - J. L. Mueller
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstr. 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Wachsbleiche 27, 49090 Osnabrück, Germany
| | - A. D. Friederici
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstr. 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - C. Männel
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstr. 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstr. 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Clinic for Cognitive Neurology, Medical Faculty, University Leipzig, Liebigstr. 16, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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66
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Kolodny O, Edelman S. The evolution of the capacity for language: the ecological context and adaptive value of a process of cognitive hijacking. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 373:rstb.2017.0052. [PMID: 29440518 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Language plays a pivotal role in the evolution of human culture, yet the evolution of the capacity for language-uniquely within the hominin lineage-remains little understood. Bringing together insights from cognitive psychology, neuroscience, archaeology and behavioural ecology, we hypothesize that this singular occurrence was triggered by exaptation, or 'hijacking', of existing cognitive mechanisms related to sequential processing and motor execution. Observed coupling of the communication system with circuits related to complex action planning and control supports this proposition, but the prehistoric ecological contexts in which this coupling may have occurred and its adaptive value remain elusive. Evolutionary reasoning rules out most existing hypotheses regarding the ecological context of language evolution, which focus on ultimate explanations and ignore proximate mechanisms. Coupling of communication and motor systems, although possible in a short period on evolutionary timescales, required a multi-stepped adaptive process, involving multiple genes and gene networks. We suggest that the behavioural context that exerted the selective pressure to drive these sequential adaptations had to be one in which each of the systems undergoing coupling was independently necessary or highly beneficial, as well as frequent and recurring over evolutionary time. One such context could have been the teaching of tool production or tool use. In the present study, we propose the Cognitive Coupling hypothesis, which brings together these insights and outlines a unifying theory for the evolution of the capacity for language.This article is part of the theme issue 'Bridging cultural gaps: interdisciplinary studies in human cultural evolution'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oren Kolodny
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Shimon Edelman
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-7601, USA
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67
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Jiang X, Long T, Cao W, Li J, Dehaene S, Wang L. Production of Supra-regular Spatial Sequences by Macaque Monkeys. Curr Biol 2018; 28:1851-1859.e4. [PMID: 29887304 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.04.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2017] [Revised: 03/04/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Understanding and producing embedded sequences in language, music, or mathematics, is a central characteristic of our species. These domains are hypothesized to involve a human-specific competence for supra-regular grammars, which can generate embedded sequences that go beyond the regular sequences engendered by finite-state automata. However, is this capacity truly unique to humans? Using a production task, we show that macaque monkeys can be trained to produce time-symmetrical embedded spatial sequences whose formal description requires supra-regular grammars or, equivalently, a push-down stack automaton. Monkeys spontaneously generalized the learned grammar to novel sequences, including longer ones, and could generate hierarchical sequences formed by an embedding of two levels of abstract rules. Compared to monkeys, however, preschool children learned the grammars much faster using a chunking strategy. While supra-regular grammars are accessible to nonhuman primates through extensive training, human uniqueness may lie in the speed and learning strategy with which they are acquired.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinjian Jiang
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 200031 Shanghai, China; Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, 200062 Shanghai, China
| | - Tenghai Long
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 200031 Shanghai, China
| | - Weicong Cao
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 200031 Shanghai, China; Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, 200062 Shanghai, China
| | - Junru Li
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 200031 Shanghai, China
| | - Stanislas Dehaene
- Collège de France, Paris, France; Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA DSV/I2BM, INSERM, Université Paris Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Liping Wang
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 200031 Shanghai, China.
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68
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Lattenkamp EZ, Vernes SC. Vocal learning: a language-relevant trait in need of a broad cross-species approach. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2018.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Rauschecker JP. Where did language come from? Precursor mechanisms in nonhuman primates. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2018; 21:195-204. [PMID: 30778394 PMCID: PMC6377164 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2018.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
At first glance, the monkey brain looks like a smaller version of the human brain. Indeed, the anatomical and functional architecture of the cortical auditory system in monkeys is very similar to that of humans, with dual pathways segregated into a ventral and a dorsal processing stream. Yet, monkeys do not speak. Repeated attempts to pin this inability on one particular cause have failed. A closer look at the necessary components of language, according to Darwin, reveals that all of them got a significant boost during evolution from nonhuman to human primates. The vocal-articulatory system, in particular, has developed into the most sophisticated of all human sensorimotor systems with about a dozen effectors that, in combination with each other, result in an auditory communication system like no other. This sensorimotor network possesses all the ingredients of an internal model system that permits the emergence of sequence processing, as required for phonology and syntax in modern languages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josef P Rauschecker
- Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
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70
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Fitch WT. What animals can teach us about human language: the phonological continuity hypothesis. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2018.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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71
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Worldwide distribution of the DCDC2 READ1 regulatory element and its relationship with phoneme variation across languages. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:4951-4956. [PMID: 29666269 PMCID: PMC5948951 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1710472115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Languages evolve rapidly due to an interaction between sociocultural factors and underlying phonological processes that are influenced by genetic factors. DCDC2 has been strongly associated with core components of the phonological processing system in animal models and multiple independent studies of populations and languages. To characterize subtle language differences arising from genetic variants associated with phonological processes, we examined the relationship between READ1, a regulatory element in DCDC2, and phonemes in languages of 43 populations across five continents. Variation in READ1 was significantly correlated with the number of consonants. Our results suggest that subtle cognitive biases conferred by different READ1 alleles are amplified through cultural transmission that shape consonant use by populations over time. DCDC2 is a gene strongly associated with components of the phonological processing system in animal models and in multiple independent studies of populations and languages. We propose that it may also influence population-level variation in language component usage. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the evolution and worldwide distribution of the READ1 regulatory element within DCDC2, and compared its distribution with variation in different language properties. The mutational history of READ1 was estimated by examining primate and archaic hominin sequences. This identified duplication and expansion events, which created a large number of polymorphic alleles based on internal repeat units (RU1 and RU2). Association of READ1 alleles was studied with respect to the numbers of consonants and vowels for languages in 43 human populations distributed across five continents. Using population-based approaches with multivariate ANCOVA and linear mixed effects analyses, we found that the RU1-1 allele group of READ1 is significantly associated with the number of consonants within languages independent of genetic relatedness, geographic proximity, and language family. We propose that allelic variation in READ1 helped create a subtle cognitive bias that was amplified by cultural transmission, and ultimately shaped consonant use by different populations over time.
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Ravignani A, Thompson B, Filippi P. The Evolution of Musicality: What Can Be Learned from Language Evolution Research? Front Neurosci 2018; 12:20. [PMID: 29467601 PMCID: PMC5808206 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2017] [Accepted: 01/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Language and music share many commonalities, both as natural phenomena and as subjects of intellectual inquiry. Rather than exhaustively reviewing these connections, we focus on potential cross-pollination of methodological inquiries and attitudes. We highlight areas in which scholarship on the evolution of language may inform the evolution of music. We focus on the value of coupled empirical and formal methodologies, and on the futility of mysterianism, the declining view that the nature, origins and evolution of language cannot be addressed empirically. We identify key areas in which the evolution of language as a discipline has flourished historically, and suggest ways in which these advances can be integrated into the study of the evolution of music.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Ravignani
- Department of Language and Cognition, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Artificial Intelligence Lab, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
- Research Department, Sealcentre Pieterburen, Pieterburen, Netherlands
| | - Bill Thompson
- Department of Language and Cognition, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Artificial Intelligence Lab, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Piera Filippi
- Department of Language and Cognition, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Institute of Language, Communication and the Brain, Aix-en-Provence, France
- Laboratoire Parole et Langage LPL UMR 7309, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Aix-Marseille Université, Aix-en-Provence, France
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive LPC UMR7290, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
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73
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Kitchen DM, Bergman TJ, Dias PAD, Ho L, Canales-Espinosa D, Cortés-Ortiz L. Temporal but Not Acoustic Plasticity in Hybrid Howler Monkey (Alouatta palliata × A. pigra) Loud Calls. INT J PRIMATOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-017-0004-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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74
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Fitch WT, de Boer B, Mathur N, Ghazanfar AA. Response to Lieberman on "Monkey vocal tracts are speech-ready". SCIENCE ADVANCES 2017; 3:e1701859. [PMID: 28695214 PMCID: PMC5501503 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1701859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2017] [Accepted: 06/01/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Macaques do have a speech-ready vocal tract, but lack a speech-ready brain to control it.
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Affiliation(s)
- W. Tecumseh Fitch
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Haidlhof Research Station, University of Vienna/University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Bad Vöslau, Austria
| | - Bart de Boer
- Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Neil Mathur
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Asif A. Ghazanfar
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
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