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Theoria et Historia Scientiarum

Emotion Communication Through Voice Modulation: Insights on Biological and Evolutionary Underpinnings of Language
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  3. Vol. 16 (2019): How did language evolve? Biological, psychological, and linguistic perspectives /
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Emotion Communication Through Voice Modulation: Insights on Biological and Evolutionary Underpinnings of Language

Authors

  • Piera Filippi 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

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12775/ths.2019.005

Keywords

language evolution, co-evolutional, emotion, prosody, word meaning, interactions

Abstract

Abstract. The aim of this review is to enhance our understanding of the role of emotional communication in the emergence of language. I provide data on the following research topics: 1) Cross-species comparative approach to the anatomical principles governing emotional vocal production. 2) Analysis of acoustic parameters conveying emotional arousal and valence through voice modulation across human cultures and a wide variety of vocalizing nonhuman animals. On this regard, I will describe the evolutionary advantage of being able to identify emotional contentin both heterospecific and conspecific vocalizations. 3) The relative salienceof emotional voice modulation and verbal content in emotional meaning processing, as an indicator of the biological role of voice modulation in the emergence of language. Finally, I propose that co-evolutionary dynamics between genetic transmission of the cognitive mechanisms underpinning language and socio-cultural transmission of vocal behaviors are responsible for the emergence of the abilities involved in language.

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2019-09-04

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FILIPPI, Piera. Emotion Communication Through Voice Modulation: Insights on Biological and Evolutionary Underpinnings of Language. Theoria et Historia Scientiarum. Online. 4 September 2019. Vol. 16, p. 83. [Accessed 13 June 2025]. DOI 10.12775/ths.2019.005.
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