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SUMMARY:Immanuel Kant’s Sparrow: High level acoustic communication in so
 ngbirds and humans - Dr Lucie Salwiczek\, Dept of Experimental Psychology\
 , University of Cambridge
DTSTART:20080508T160000Z
DTEND:20080508T173000Z
UID:TALK10496@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Andrew Caines
DESCRIPTION:In order to establish what makes language an exclusively human
  property one should make comparisons with other animal vocal communicatio
 n systems and identify the human-specific components. The best studied par
 allel to human language is found in song birds. Their high-level vocal com
 munication system consists of an elaborate syringeal structure\, a special
 ized brain circuit\, with an ability to copy vocalizations from tutors and
  combine the learned vocal elements into syntactic sequences. Song traditi
 ons and song dialects are a consequence of this. Canary-reared house sparr
 ows were used as a model to study how birds learn repertoire and syntax fr
 om a foreign species in relation to underlying brain areas. Birds and huma
 ns acquired their vocal communication systems independently by convergent 
 evolution. Similarities between them may point towards inherent requiremen
 ts of learned acoustic communication.\n
LOCATION:GR06-7\, English Faculty\, 9 West Road (Sidgwick Site)
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