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A Theory That Never Was: Wrong Way to the “Dawn of Speech”
KTH, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), Intelligent systems, Speech, Music and Hearing, TMH.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-6739-0838
2024 (English)In: Biolinguistics, ISSN 1450-3417, Vol. 18, article id e14285Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Recent literature argues that a purportedly long-standing theory—so-called “laryngeal descent theory”—in speech evolution has been refuted (Boë et al., 2019, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaw3916). However, an investigation into the relevant source material reveals that the theory described has never been a prominent line of thinking in speech-centric sciences. The confusion arises from a fundamental misunderstanding: the argument that the descent of the larynx and the accompanying changes in the hominin vocal tract expanded the range of possible speech sounds for human ancestors (a theory that enjoys wide interdisciplinary support) is mistakenly interpreted as a belief that all speech was impossible without such changes—a notion that was never widely endorsed in relevant literature. This work aims not to stir controversy but to highlight important historical context in the study of speech evolution.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID) , 2024. Vol. 18, article id e14285
Keywords [en]
evolution of speech, miscitation, primatology, speech production, vocal tract
National Category
General Language Studies and Linguistics
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-346815DOI: 10.5964/bioling.14285ISI: 001237520500001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85192800645OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-346815DiVA, id: diva2:1860429
Note

QC 20240617

Available from: 2024-05-24 Created: 2024-05-24 Last updated: 2024-06-17Bibliographically approved

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Ekström, Axel G.

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