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Speech evolved from vocalization, not mastication

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 1998

Uwe Jürgens
Affiliation:
German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germanyujuerge@gwdg.de

Abstract

The segmentation of phonation by articulation is a characteristic feature of speech that distinguishes it from most nonhuman vocalizations. However, apart from the trivial fact that speech uses some of the same muscles and, hence the same motoneurons and motorcortical areas used in chewing, there is no convincing evidence that syllable segmentation relies on the same pattern generator as mastication. Evidence for a differential cortical representation of syllable segmentation (“frame”) and syllable “content” is also meager.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
© 1998 Cambridge University Press

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