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Comment
. 2020 Sep 22;117(38):23223-23224.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.2011402117.

Breathing, voice, and synchronized movement

Andrea Ravignani  1 , Sonja A Kotz  2   3
Affiliations
Comment

Breathing, voice, and synchronized movement

Andrea Ravignani et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. .
No abstract available

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interest.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Alternative interpretations of Pouw et al.’s data (1). Gesture requires dexterity, which requires movement (Left). Vocal control requires vocalizing, which requires breathing (Right). While the authors interpret their data as supporting a potential evolutionary link between gesture and vocal control (Top), we consider that linking joint rhythmic movement with breathing (Bottom) is more parsimonious.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Playing theremin is an alternative example of how movement flexibility can affect sound production. Here, the player moves her hands around the musical instrument to shape the sounds it produces. What we call the “theremin model of speech control” is based on the idea that, while the vocal tract of participants in ref. provides a sound flow (much like the depicted theremin), hand movements of participants in ref. can modulate and control this flow (similar to what the theremin player does). In a (highly dexterous) musical duet of two theremin performers, the movements of players might also synchronize by sound alone, akin to the voice-mediated movement synchrony in Pouw et al.’s experiment (1), but without enhanced vocal control. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons/What's On the Air Company.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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References

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