Soprano singing in gibbons

Bibliographic Data

ID8312172
AuthorsHiroki Koda (0000-0002-0927-3473, Kyoto University), Takeshi Nishimura (0000-0003-3800-2194, Kyoto University, corresponding author), Isao T Tokuda (0000-0001-6212-0022, Ritsumeikan University), Chisako Oyakawa (Tohoku University), Toshikuni Nihonmatsu (University of Fukuchiyama), Nobuo Masataka (0000-0001-7999-8050, Kyoto University)
Year2012
Volume149
Issue3
Pages347-355
Publication date2012-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Physical Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9483 • E-ISSN: 1096-8644
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ajpa.22124
PMID22926979
OpenAlexW2106991580
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited38

Diversifications in primate vocalization, including human speech, are believed to reflect evolutionary modifications in vocal anatomy and physiology. Gibbon song is acoustically unique, comprising loud, melodious, penetrating pure tone‐like calls. In a white‐handed gibbon, Hylobates lar , the fundamental frequency ( f 0 ) of song sounds is amplified distinctively from the higher harmonics in normal air. In a helium‐enriched atmosphere, f 0 does not shift, but it is significantly suppressed and 2 f 0 is emphasized. This implies that the source is independent of the resonance filter of the supralaryngeal vocal tract (SVT) in gibbons, in contrast to musical wind instruments, in which the filter primarily determines f 0 . Acoustic simulation further supported that gibbons' singing is produced analogously to professional human soprano singing, in which a precise tuning of the first formant ( F 1 ) of the SVT to f 0 amplifies exclusively the f 0 component of the source. Thus, in gibbons, as in humans, dynamic control over the vocal tract configuration, rather than anatomical modifications, has been a dominant factor in determining call structure. The varied dynamic movements were adopted in response to unique social and ecological pressures in gibbons, allowing monogamous gibbons to produce pure‐tonal melodious songs in the dense tropical forests with poor visibility. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Acoustics · Audiology · Biology · Bipedalism · Formant · Human voice · Hylobates · Phonation · Physics · Primate · Singing · Speech recognition · Vocal tract · Vowel · Zoology · Anatomy · Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior · Communication · Computer Science · Medicine · Music and Audio Processing · Neuroscience · Psychology · Speech and Audio Processing

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