Animal vocal sequences: not the Markov chains we thought they were. [PDF]
, 2014 Many animals produce vocal sequences that appear complex. Most researchers assume that these sequences are well characterized as Markov chains (i.e. that the probability of a particular vocal element can be calculated from the history of only a finite ...
Bohn, Kirsten +5 more
core +1 more source
A Sing-Song Way of Vocalizing: Generalization and Specificity in Language and Birdsong. [PDF]
, 2017 Spoken languages such as German are extremely discrete, whereas others such as Portuguese are melodic or "sing-song" wherein identifying a word relies on what comes before and after.
Farias-Virgens, Madza +1 more
core +1 more source
Dynamic top-down biasing implements rapid adaptive changes to individual movements
eLife, 2023 Complex behaviors depend on the coordinated activity of neural ensembles in interconnected brain areas. The behavioral function of such coordination, often measured as co-fluctuations in neural activity across areas, is poorly understood.
Lucas Y Tian +3 more
doaj +1 more source
Pauses enhance chunk recognition in song element strings by zebra finches [PDF]
, 2015 Animal ...
Anouk de Weger +2 more
core +2 more sources
Defects in ultrasonic vocalization of cadherin-6 knockout mice. [PDF]
PLoS ONE, 2012 BACKGROUND:Although some molecules have been identified as responsible for human language disorders, there is still little information about what molecular mechanisms establish the faculty of human language.
Ryoko Nakagawa +2 more
doaj +1 more source
Neural Activity During Call Production in the Female Zebra Finch Homolog of the Male Forebrain Song System. [PDF]
Eur J NeurosciAlthough female zebra finches do not learn vocalizations, they possess brain structures analogous to those of males that use these structures to learn a large part of their vocal output, such as song. We wirelessly recorded neural signals from one of these brain areas, premotor nucleus RA, simultaneously with the vocal output from freely behaving ...
Trost L, Gahr M, Ter Maat A.
europepmc +2 more sources
FoxP2 isoforms delineate spatiotemporal transcriptional networks for vocal learning in the zebra finch. [PDF]
, 2018 Human speech is one of the few examples of vocal learning among mammals yet ~half of avian species exhibit this ability. Its neurogenetic basis is largely unknown beyond a shared requirement for FoxP2 in both humans and zebra finches.
Aamodt, Caitlin M +7 more
core +2 more sources
A hypothesis on improving foreign accents by optimizing variability in vocal learning brain circuits [PDF]
, 2015 Rapid vocal motor learning is observed when acquiring a language in early childhood, or learning to speak another language later in life. Accurate pronunciation is one of the hardest things for late learners to master and they are almost always left with
Simmonds, AJ
core +2 more sources
Relationship between the Sequencing and Timing of Vocal Motor Elements in Birdsong. [PDF]
PLoS ONE, 2015 Accurate coordination of the sequencing and timing of motor gestures is important for the performance of complex and evolutionarily relevant behaviors. However, the degree to which motor sequencing and timing are related remains largely unknown. Birdsong
Andrew M M Matheson, Jon T Sakata
doaj +1 more source
The integration hypothesis of human language evolution and the nature of contemporary languages [PDF]
, 2014 How human language arose is a mystery in the evolution of Homo sapiens. Miyagawa et al. (2013) put forward a proposal, which we will call the Integration Hypothesis of human language evolution, that holds that human language is composed of two components,
Kazuo Okanoya +3 more
core +1 more source