Vocal Combinations in the Southern Pied Babbler (Turdoides bicolor) and the Chestnut-Crowned Babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps): Implications for the Evolution of Human Language

Abstract

Language’s expressive power is one of its key characterising features. This generative capacity is achieved through language’s double articulatory nature: meaningless sounds (phonemes) are combined to create meaningful words (phonology/combinatoriality), and words are assembled into higher-order meaningful phrases (syntax/compositionality). Comparative work on non-human animals investigating the evolutionary origin of combinatorial abilities has so far focused on singing species or on primates. Although these studies have shed light o Show more