Recent research into the interaction of music and language across cultures has discovered some fascinating patterns that emphasize universal characteristics of human expression. These studies demonstrate that certain features of music and language are universal, despite the huge diversity of human cultures.
Language and music may serve similar evolutionary functions. Rhythm and pitch are qualities common to both speech and song. But do similarities and contrasts between speech and song exist across cultures?
To study this subject, 75 scholars from Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, and the Pacific were recruited, speaking 55 languages. Among them were specialists in ethnomusicology, music psychology, linguistics, and evolutionary biology. The researchers were instructed to sing, play instruments, repeat lyrics, and orally explain music. The generated audio samples were evaluated for pitch, timbre, and rhythm.
Slow, regular, predictable melodies make it easier for us to sing together in large groups. We’re trying to shed light on the cultural and biological evolution of two systems that make us human: music and language.
Limor Raviv
The study provides “strong evidence for cross-cultural regularities,” according to senior author Patrick Savage of Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, a psychologist and musicologist who sang ‘Scarborough Fair’.
MPI’s Limor Raviv, co-author on the study, recorded the Hebrew song ‘Yerushalayim Shel Zahav’. Fellow author Andrea Ravignani from the MPI recorded the Italian song ‘Bella Ciao’, playing the saxophone. The collection also featured the Dutch songs ‘Hoor de wind waait’ and ‘Dikkertje Dap’.
A three-minute video [https://youtu.be/a4eNNrdcfDM] of researchers singing, speaking, and playing traditional instruments from their cultures is available.
Savage speculates on the underlying reasons for the cross-cultural commonalities, claiming that songs are more predictable than speech since they are utilized for synchronisation and social bonding. “Slow, regular, predictable melodies make it easier for us to sing together in large groups,” he claims. “We’re trying to shed light on the cultural and biological evolution of two systems that make us human: music and language.”
These discoveries provide various options for future research. Understanding the universal characteristics of music and language can reveal important aspects of human cognition and social interaction. Furthermore, studying the distinct elements of different cultures can reveal deeper insights into the various ways humans express and interpret the world.
