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Evolution of Vocal Communication: From Animal Calls to Human Speech

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Evolution of the Brain, Cognition, and Emotion in Vertebrates

Part of the book series: Brain Science ((BRASC))

Abstract

The evolution of speech poses a dilemma when viewed from the signaling theory in evolutionary biology. This is because the content of speech is not honest, yet the expression of speech is mostly honest. The creativity of language rests on the dishonesty of language, but why did such a dishonest signal evolve at all? In this chapter, I will try to lay out a set of hypotheses. Animal acoustical communication perhaps started as noises contingent with breathing and jaw or respiratory gestures associated with predation or feeding. These noises and movements were gradually ritualized, forming fixed patterns of motor actions indicating intentions or emotions. Especially, vocalizations associated with respiratory action became indicators of emotional states such as fear or contentment, or that of intentions such as attack or copulation. Animal calls were thus established as an honest indicator of the internal state. In certain species, stochastic combinations of such calls were used by young animals to induce parental behavior, perhaps because they reminded parents of immature articulation. This effect was then utilized by male animals to attract females. Extremes of such vocalizations are songs, used for mate attraction and/or territorial defense by many species of birds and some species of whales and primates. Songs are an honest signal of vigor, since singing is costly. Gradually, songs came to be utilized also in nonsexual social contexts seen in, for example, gibbons. Sequences of song syllables and behavioral contexts were associated through a mutual segmentation process over generations and proto-words emerged. Arbitrary combinations of proto-words referred to non-existing entities and thus the dishonesty of speech started. However, speech was always associated with honest signals such as emotions in voice or facial expressions. Thus, the receiver could mostly judge the honesty of the speech content. Furthermore, the dishonesty of linguistic expression produced creativity and cumulative culture. In this way, emotion and language evolved in humans because of the mutual dependency between dishonesty and creativity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Tokyo, Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan

    Kazuo Okanoya

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  1. Kazuo Okanoya
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Correspondence to Kazuo Okanoya .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Keio University, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan

    Shigeru Watanabe

  2. Department of Neuropsychiatry, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam Zuidoost, Noord-Holland, The Netherlands

    Michel A Hofman

  3. Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA

    Toru Shimizu

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Okanoya, K. (2017). Evolution of Vocal Communication: From Animal Calls to Human Speech. In: Watanabe, S., Hofman, M., Shimizu, T. (eds) Evolution of the Brain, Cognition, and Emotion in Vertebrates. Brain Science. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-56559-8_10

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