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Proto-consonants were information-dense via identical bioacoustic tags to proto-vowels

Author

Listed:
  • Adriano R. Lameira

    (Evolutionary Anthropology Research Group)

  • Raquel Vicente
  • António Alexandre
  • Gail Campbell-Smith

    (Jalan S. Parman Gang Tomat, No. 18B, RT02, RW01, Sukaharja, Ketapang)

  • Cheryl Knott

    (Boston University)

  • Serge Wich

    (School of Natural Science and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University
    Faculty of Science, University of Amsterdam)

  • Madeleine E. Hardus

Abstract

Why did our ancestors combine the first consonant- and vowel-like utterances to produce the first syllable or word? To answer this question, it is essential to know what constituted the communicative function of proto-consonants and of proto-vowels before their combined use became universal. Almost nothing is known, however, about consonant-like calls in the primate order1,2. Here, we investigate a large collection of voiceless consonant-like calls in nonhuman great apes (our closest relatives), namely orangutans (Pongo spp.). We analysed 4,486 kiss-squeaks collected across 48 individuals in four wild populations. Despite idiosyncratic production mechanics, consonant-like calls displayed information-dense content and the same acoustic signatures found in voiced vowel-like calls by nonhuman primates, implying similar biological functions. Selection regimes between proto-consonants and proto-vowels were thus probably indistinguishable at the dawn of spoken language evolution. Our findings suggest that the first proto-syllables or proto-words in our lineage probably constituted message reiterations, instead of messages of increasing intricacy.

Suggested Citation

  • Adriano R. Lameira & Raquel Vicente & António Alexandre & Gail Campbell-Smith & Cheryl Knott & Serge Wich & Madeleine E. Hardus, 2017. "Proto-consonants were information-dense via identical bioacoustic tags to proto-vowels," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 1(2), pages 1-5, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nathum:v:1:y:2017:i:2:d:10.1038_s41562-017-0044
    DOI: 10.1038/s41562-017-0044
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