Babbling in a vocal learning bat resembles human infant babbling

Link to Full Text

Download Full Text

Publication Date

8-20-2021

Publication Title

SCIENCE

Volume Number

373

Issue Number

6557

Abstract

Babbling bats A notable aspect of language development in humans is the babbling stage. During this time, toddlers make a range of specific sounds as they practice and imitate adult speech. Humans are not the only vocal learners, however, so might we expect such babbling among others? Fernandez et al . recorded the vocalizations of sac-winged bat pups in the wild and found clear evidence of babbling that was consistent with that seen in humans. The shared babbling components suggest that vocal learning may have similar specific mechanisms across a wide array of mammalian species. —SNV

Document Type

Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abf9279

Language

English

Link to Full Text

Share

 
COinS