[language] [Fwd: [evol-psych] It's squeak and mutter for mice and men]

[H.M. Hubey]

<><><><><><><><><><><><>--This is the Language List--<><><><><><><><><><><><><>




-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [evol-psych] It's squeak and mutter for mice and men
Date: Wed, 26 Dec 2001 09:31:59 +0000
From: Ian Pitchford <ian.pitchford at scientist.com>
Reply-To: Ian Pitchford <Ian.Pitchford at scientist.com>
Organization: http://human-nature.com/
To: evolutionary-psychology at yahoogroups.com

It's squeak and mutter for mice and men

Humans chat and mice squeak - but both follow some of the same basic
rules of
sound recognition to communicate, scientists say.

Researchers made the discovery by analysing the way hungry infant mice
call to
their mothers.

It was already known that suckling mouse pups and human babies make
similar
sounds.

The new study by a team of German scientists shows that mice and humans
are
sensitive to the same structural elements in these sounds.

These low frequency "formants", which determine spectral shape and
timbre, are
critical to vowel recognition in humans.

The researchers, led by Gunter Ehret at the University of Ulm, prepared
recordings of natural mouse pup sounds and artificial calls and played
them
back to a mother mouse nursing her babies.

They found that particular "wriggling calls" triggered maternal
behaviour, such
as licking offspring, changing suckling position, and nest building.

When these calls were analysed, the scientists discovered that for a
mother
mouse to understand her pubs she has to hear at least three low
frequency
"formants".

Similar sound components are necessary for humans to perceive speech
vowels,
the researchers reported in the journal Proceedings of the National
Academy of
Sciences.

The discovery indicates that human verbal communication is based on
fundamental
rules which evolved long ago.

Story filed: 22:18 Tuesday 25th December 2001
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_481118.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery

____





To view archive/subscribe/unsubscribe/select DIGEST go to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/evolutionary-psychology

Read The Human Nature Daily Review every day
http://human-nature.com/nibbs

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

---<><><><><><><><><><><><>----Language----<><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Copyrights/"Fair Use":  http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html
The "fair use" exemption to copyright law was created to allow things
such as commentary, parody, news reporting, research and education
about copyrighted works without the permission of the author. That's
important so that copyright law doesn't block your freedom to express
your own works -- only the ability to express other people's.
Intent, and damage to the commercial value of the work are
important considerations.

You are currently subscribed to language as: language at listserv.linguistlist.org
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-language-4283Y at csam-lists.montclair.edu