A Unique Commonality Between Songbirds and Humans
Lou Rawls once said “Music is the greatest communication in the world. Even if people don’t understand the language that you’re singing in, they still know good music when they hear it.” Perhaps this quote can be extended far beyond just humans, encompassing almost all who live on this planet. As in most things there exists patterns that may not always be easily noticeable, however, once the patterns are revealed the doors of understanding slowly begin to open.
You may not expect humans to have much in common with birds, however, a study at McGill University revealed that we have a rather unique commonality. The research showed that songbirds (the type of birds used in the study were zebra finches) may actually learn to produce certain sound patterns over others. What is significant about this is it is actually similar to the pitch inflection patterns found in human speech and music.
The results of this study have some fascinating implications. For one thing, this may mean that there is more to speech than merely learning words. A sort of ‘universal structure’ may exist to help some animals better communicate. The term ‘universal’, is used to help describe and emphasize the fact that it seems language structure, such as word order, and in the cases of animals, sound patterns, timing, and pitch may all actually be biologically built into our brains as a sort of language learning mechanism.
Further studies will help elucidate the intricacies of the neurobiological role in both speech and music not only as it relates to humans, but other animals as well. With this knowledge, we can change the way we think about and perceive animals. Perhaps there will even come a day in which we will be able to communicate with animals far more effectively than ever before.