title: Physical mechanisms may be as important as brain mechanisms in evolution of speech.
abstract: We present two arguments why physical adaptations for vocalization may be as important as neural adaptations. First, fine control over vocalization is not easy for physical reasons, and modern humans may be exceptional. Second, we present an example of a gorilla that shows rudimentary voluntary control over vocalization, indicating that some neural control is already shared with great apes.
authors.affiliation: Artificial Intelligence Lab,Vrije Universiteit Brussel,1050 Brussels,Belgium.bart@ai.vub.ac.behttp://ai.vub.ac.be/members/bart.
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: de Boer
authors.affiliation: Department of Cognitive and Information Sciences,University of California-Merced,Merced, CA 95343.mperlman@ucmerced.edu.
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Perlman
mesh_terms: D000819:Animal Communication; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003142:Communication; D006801:Humans; D011323:Primates / Q000502:physiology*; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology*