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Voice-motor control

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

The voice is the medium through which we manifest our use of language and music—through speech and song. Human vociferousness is supported by specialized adaptations in the brain that grant improved control over the muscles of the larynx and respiration, and more importantly the ability to learn new patterns of vocal behaviour. Understanding these adaptations in the human brain and how they differ from their homologs in the brains of other species of primate can provide insight into how ancestral humans came to evolve the faculties of language and music. This chapter will review the biomechanics of vocal sound production, the comparative vocal abilities of non-human primates, how the human brain controls the voice, how this differs from the neural control of the voice in closely related species, and the mechanisms by which these differences may have evolved.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Oxford Handbook of Language and Music
EditorsDaniela Sammler
Place of PublicationOxford
PublisherOxford University Press
ISBN (Electronic)9780191915581
ISBN (Print)9780192894700
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 22 Apr 2025

Publication series

NameOxford Handbooks
PublisherOxford University Press

Keywords

  • voice
  • larynx
  • respiration
  • brain
  • evolution
  • apes
  • Phonetics and Phonology
  • Psycholinguistics
  • Linguistics

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