Emotional Voice Intonation: A Communication Code at the Origins of Speech Processing and Word-Meaning Associations?
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Emotional Voice Intonation: A Communication Code at the Origins of Speech Processing and Word-Meaning Associations? Piera Filippi1,2,3,4,5
© The Author(s) 2020
Abstract The aim of the present work is to investigate the facilitating effect of vocal emotional intonation on the evolution of the following processes involved in language: (a) identifying and producing phonemes, (b) processing compositional rules underlying vocal utterances, and (c) associating vocal utterances with meanings. To this end, firstly, I examine research on the presence of these abilities in animals, and the biologically ancient nature of emotional vocalizations. Secondly, I review research attesting to the facilitating effect of emotional voice intonation on these abilities in humans. Thirdly, building on these studies in animals and humans, and through taking an evolutionary perspective, I provide insights for future empirical work on the facilitating effect of emotional intonation on these three processes in animals and preverbal humans. In this work, I highlight the importance of a comparative approach to investigate language evolution empirically. This review supports Darwin’s hypothesis, according to which the ability to express emotions through voice modulation was a key step in the evolution of spoken language. Keywords Language evolution · Emotional intonation · Animal communication · Speech sound processing · Word-meaning association
* Piera Filippi [email protected] 1
Present Address: Department of Comparative Language Science, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
2
Present Address: Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution, University of Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
3
Institute of Language, Communication and the Brain, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Aix-Marseille Université, Aix‑en‑Provence, France
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Laboratoire Parole et Langage, LPL UMR 7309, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Aix-Marseille Université, Aix‑en‑Provence, France
5
Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive LPC UMR 7290, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
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Vol.:(0123456789)
Journal of Nonverbal Behavior
Introduction A Comparative Approach to the Evolution of Human Language: Insights from Empirical Studies In the last few decades, a surge of studies has emerged with the aim of applying an empirical and comparative approach to animal vocal communication as a way to enhance our understanding of the evolution of the mechanisms enabling human language (hereafter, language). The present work adopts this approach, and includes the following methodological steps: (a) identifying and defining core abilities involved in language; (b) tracing the presence of these abilities in multiple closely-related or phylogenetically independent species; (c) analyzing the factors that may have boosted the evolution of these abilities into their current form in language. This method, which assumes that core mechanisms underpinning language are broadly shar
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