July 24, 2015

July 24, 2015

Written by Maximus Peperkamp, M.S. Verbal Engineer

Dear Reader, 

The following writing is my third response to the paper “Two Organizing Principles of Vocal Production: Implications for Nonhuman and Human Primates” by Owren, Amoss & Rendall (2010). 

“Like monkeys and apes, infant humans produce spontaneous vocalizations from very early in life, including species-typical crying sounds that can begin literally from the moment of birth.” However, mature human beings, who have learned language, continue to make use of “species-typical” sounds, but in a modified manner. 

Sound Verbal Behavior (SVB) and Noxious Verbal Behavior (NVB) designate two ontogenetically shaped subclasses of our phylogenetic vocal verbal behavior. Just as any child can learn Arabic or French depending in what environment he or she is placed, every child learns to have SVB or NVB depending on the environment he or she grows up in. SVB and NVB are learned during our lifetime and just as a person can learn a second language, someone with NVB can learn to have SVB.

Other evidence for the phylogenetic origins of language comes from research about laughter. While analyzing laughter produced by congenitally, bilaterally and profoundly deaf students, researchers found “the same acoustic features as in the sounds of their normally hearing peers.” Just like crying, “spontaneous laughter also appears early, and both vocalizations are found in infants who are deaf and blind." It is evident that “human beings do not need significant auditory experience or motor practice in order to produce these vocalizations.” Furthermore,  “ pygmymarmoset (Cebuella pygmaea) vocal development is similar to that of humans in also showing a stage of babbling-like vocal behavior.” Interestingly, with humans it was found “that hearing impairment had a marked effect on babbling vocalizations.” This research “thus, provides clear evidence of the critical role of auditory input for development of spoken language in particular.”

My interpretation of this research is that a particular auditory input, that is, a particular sound of the mother, father or caretaker, lays the foundation for a way of communicating, which is affecting the receiver either affectively or aversively. In the former, listening is enhanced, while in the latter, as the receiver/listener has been aversively influenced by the parent/speaker, there will be more of an emphasis on speaking. 

Only if the speaker appetitively effects the listener, the possibility is created for listening and speaking behavior to join in due course. If, during early development, listening is not enhanced while speaking is, the foundation for NVB will be created. 

Only if the speaker influences the listener with an appetitive contingency, n listening is enhanced, as it should be, and the foundation is created for SVB. Auditory input determines if we will become good listeners and therefore good speakers.

SVB speakers listen to themselves while they speak, but NVB speakers, who are not in touch with themselves, as they don’t listen to themselves, will be inclined to dominate others and force them to listen.