May 18, 2015 AT 6:00 am
Language and Birdsong may use the same Brain Structures
The BBC has a fascinating story on recent research that suggests studying the links between humans and birds may deepen our understanding of the origin and development of human language.
Charles Darwin was so struck by this thought that in 1871 he wrote in The Descent of Man: “The sounds uttered by birds offer in several aspects the nearest analogy to language, for all the members of the same species utter the same instinctive cries expressive of their emotions; and all kinds that have the power of singing exert this power instinctively.”
Today, there is growing evidence that humans and birds have more in common than the simple ability to produce lots of different sounds. In fact we share brain structures and genes that are associated with speech. Some scientists now believe that birds may hold the key to a great mystery: how human language evolved.
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