title: Phonation takes precedence over articulation in development as well as evolution of language.
abstract: Early human vocal development is characterized first by emerging control of phonation and later by prosodic and supraglottal articulation. The target article has missed the opportunity to use these facts in the characterization of evolution in language-specific brain mechanisms. Phonation appears to be the initial human-specific brain change for language, and it was presumably a key target of selection in early hominin evolution.
authors.affiliation: School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, The University of Memphis,Memphis, TN 38105.koller@memphis.eduhttp://umwa.memphis.edu/fcv/viewprofile.php?uuid=koller.
authors.forename: D Kimbrough
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Oller
mesh_terms: D000819:Animal Communication; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003142:Communication; D006801:Humans; D011323:Primates / Q000502:physiology*; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology*