Birdsong, Speech, and Language: Exploring the Evolution of Mind and Brain by Robert C. Berwick

by Johan J. Bolhuis

Scholars have long been captivated by the parallels between birdsong and human speech and language. In this book, leading scholars draw on the latest research to explore what birdsong can tell us about the biology of human speech and language and the consequences for evolutionary biology. They examine the cognitive and neural similarities between birdsong learning and speech and language acquisition, considering vocal imitation, auditory learning, an early vocalization phase ("babbling"), the structural properties of birdsong and human language, and the striking similarities between the neural organization of learning and vocal production in birdsong and human speech. After outlining the basic issues involved in the study of both language and evolution, the contributors compare birdsong and language in terms of acquisition, recursion, and core structural properties, and then examine the neurobiology of song and speech, genomic factors, and the emergence and evolution of Hermann Ackermann, Gabriel J.L. Beckers, Robert C. Berwick, Johan J. Bolhuis, Noam Chomsky, Frank Eisner, Martin Everaert, Michale S. Fee, Olga Feher, Simon E. Fisher, W. Tecumseh Fitch, Jonathan B. Fritz, Sharon M.H. Gobes, Riny Huijbregts, Eric Jarvis, Robert Lachlan, Ann Law, Michael A. Long, Gary F. Marcus, Carolyn McGettigan, Daniel Mietchen, Richard Mooney, Sanne Moorman, Kazuo Okanoya, Christophe Pallier, Irene M. Pepperberg, Jonathan F. Prather, Franck Ramus, Eric Reuland, Constance Scharff, Sophie K. Scott, Neil Smith, Ofer Tchernichovski, Carel ten Cate, Christopher K. Thompson, Frank Wijnen, Moira Yip, Wolfram Ziegler, Willem Zuidema"

Genres: Language, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Icey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is divided into three sections. The first section introduces the reader to the study of birdsong and its importance as a model for understanding language and its evolution. The second section explores the similarities and differences between birdsong and human speech, including the structure and function of the vocal systems, and the neural mechanisms involved in producing and processing vocalizations. The third section focuses on the evolutionary origins of birdsong and speech, and how they may have emerged from earlier communication systems in birds and primates.

The authors draw on a wide range of scientific disciplines, including neuroscience, linguistics, and evolutionary biology, to provide a comprehensive and interdisciplinary perspective on the topic. They use examples from a range of bird species, such as songbirds, parrots, and hummingbirds, to illustrate the complexity and diversity of vocal communication in the animal kingdom.

One of the key insights of the book is the idea that birdsong and human speech may have evolved from a common ancestor, and that they share some fundamental neural and cognitive mechanisms. For example, both involve the use of auditory feedback to guide the production of vocalizations, and both rely on complex learning processes that involve exposure to social and environmental cues.