who asked the first question? - International Research Center For ...
who asked the first question? - International Research Center For ... who asked the first question? - International Research Center For ...
376children are much ahead of their Japanese counterparts in the acquisition of vocabulary.This difference has its social background: “...American mothers are inclined to verballylabel the parts of toys their children play with; at 19 months, American babies havenearly twice the vocabulary of their Japanese counterparts” (Shweder, 1993:59). As forthe enigmatic and totally neglected differences in the age of acquisition of a phonologicalsystem, I think this could be the result of innate differences between the East Asian andEuropean populations. A study of other East Asian and African populations could becrucial in this context.From Polyphony to Monophony:Belated Appendix to the “Case Studies #2 and #3”The disappearance of the tradition of vocal polyphony, suggested in theconclusions of the case studies #2 and #3 was extremely long, multi-century and multimillenniaprocess, no question about that. This process started after the articulated speechentered human evolution and transformed not only the supralaryngeal tract, thebasicranium, and human facial details, but affected the whole set of social relationshipsand the efficiency of human communication. Speech must have been a main reasonbehind marginalization of pitch communication and gradual decline of human musicalabilities. This section of the book discusses the dynamics of the gradual disappearanceof the vocal polyphonic tradition. Despite the hypothetical nature of this reconstructionit can be thought-stimulating.• Starting point is the archaic Homo sapiens society, where the speech has not yetbeen established as a leading medium of human language (this population is also knownas Homo erectus). Plenty of social activities in this society are based on singing:everyday communication, ritual singing, establishment and maintaining social bonds,avoiding conflicts, defending themselves from predators and obtaining food. Everyoneparticipates in musical activities and there is no division of society on the performers andthe listeners. Struggle for survival favors individuals with a good musical ear, good soundproduction and good sense of rhythm. Most (or even all) members of the society haveperfect pitch.• Articulated speech enters human social life as a much more efficient medium oflanguage. More elaborate ideas are communicated through the new medium (speech).Singing is marginalized from several of its important functions – everydaycommunication (almost completely), establishing and maintaining social bonds andavoiding conflicts (partially). Ritual singing, and possibly defensive and food-obtainingfunctions are maintained. Since the emergence of articulated speech struggle for survivalwithin human groups favors individuals with good articulation. Musical ear and goodsound production starts to decline. Number of individuals with perfect pitch is declining.Members of human societies are communicating via articulated speech, although the rateof speech pathologies (like stuttering) is very high.
377• As the process of the decline of good musical ear and good sound productiongoes on, some members of society stop participating in singing activities. Number ofpeople who do not participate in singing is growing as the time goes by. People withgood articulations are becoming leaders and are socially more accepted. The prevalenceof stuttering is further decreasing. People with good musical ear sing and entertain thosewho can hear and appreciate musical sounds, but cannot sing in tune themselves. Thosewho do not sing, form a new group of society – group of listeners. Division on society onperformers and listeners is born. Elements of professionalism appear.• People still sing in groups (particularly in rituals, where mass participation isbelieved to have a magic power), but as the decline of precise sound production, goodmusical ear and the sense of rhythm goes on, it is increasingly difficult to sing as wellcoordinatedand tight group. People gradually abandon singing different parts and startfollowing the main melody. Unison and heterophonic texture is on rise. Polyphonicelements are survived only in the cadencial sections of songs.• In this process of losing parts of polyphonic songs, new monophonic versions ofpolyphonic songs are born, where in the single melodic line the elements of differentparts are united. This phenomenon can be observed very often (even today) when aperson from a polyphonic culture tries to sing alone, without co-singers.• In the process of the decline of musical ear and well-coordinated grouppolyphonic singing traditions, new type of musical instrument – double (triple,quadruple) blown instruments are on the rise. Some processes that were traditionallyaccompanied by group singing are now accompanied by individual singing. Some goeswithout singing at all. Some goes with the instrumental accompaniment.• Individuals with good musical ear are appreciated in society as good singers andmusicians. They become semi-professionals who are still involved in animal husbandryor agricultural processes but have some additional income from their musical activity aswell. As time goes by, some talented individuals manage to lead a life as full-timemusicians.• As the process goes on, monophonic singing becomes the only form of singing.Polyphonic elements in cadences are also lost. Double blown instruments stay formallydouble, but turn into unison instruments with the same length of the pipes and samenumber of holes. Full-time musicians start developing musical instruments, making themmore virtuoso, start going beyond the sounds and try to create a theory of music.Tractates about music are born. Performances of highly trained performers are listened bythe rest of the population. Competition between full-time musicians is on rise. The socialmodel “one performer – many listeners” is in full swing, although some processes (likeritual singing, or agricultural works) might be still accompanied by group (unison orheterophonic) singing. Long process of evolution favoring individuals with goodarticulation causes further reduction of the number of individuals with stuttering andother speech-related pathologies.
- Page 325 and 326: 325articulated elements, where the
- Page 327 and 328: 327development experts would unanim
- Page 329 and 330: 329years after 1996, if I see a new
- Page 331 and 332: 331• Why do we ask questions?This
- Page 333 and 334: 333With the emergence of the abilit
- Page 335 and 336: 335apes’ and humans’ mental abi
- Page 337 and 338: 337The fascinating fact about the T
- Page 339 and 340: 339curiosity cannot exist, although
- Page 341 and 342: 341• Question intonation is argua
- Page 343 and 344: 343A few cases of “wolf children
- Page 345 and 346: 345(2) Children under two and pidgi
- Page 347 and 348: 347Let’s Talk: Origin of SpeechTh
- Page 349 and 350: 349article concluded with the sugge
- Page 351 and 352: 351are disposed to accept such a vi
- Page 353 and 354: 353articulated speech among the anc
- Page 355 and 356: 355speech (possibly in conjunction
- Page 357 and 358: 357function, while in the sub-Sahar
- Page 359 and 360: 359acquired, it is one of the most
- Page 361 and 362: 361millennia. So the historical dyn
- Page 363 and 364: 363of stuttering was mostly margina
- Page 365 and 366: 365when I reminded her of our conve
- Page 367 and 368: 367• A comparison of the stutteri
- Page 369 and 370: 369predisposition towards stutterin
- Page 371 and 372: 371There are some well-researched p
- Page 373 and 374: 373Developmental dyslexiaStuttering
- Page 375: 375mastery or correct usage of soun
- Page 379 and 380: 379major African ground predators (
- Page 381 and 382: 381PostScript:Moral and ethics issu
- Page 383 and 384: 383(Jordania, 1989:240), believing
- Page 385 and 386: 385without turning these difference
- Page 387 and 388: 387Central African Republic, Bangul
- Page 389 and 390: 389polyphon y.” 4. Nailia Almeeva
- Page 391 and 392: 391aural tradition: Results and the
- Page 393 and 394: 3931. Tamar Chkheidze. “Peculiari
- Page 395 and 396: 395Krimanchuli (Yodel) in West Geor
- Page 397 and 398: 397ReferencesABDUSHELISHVILI, MALKH
- Page 399 and 400: 399ASAFIEV, BORIS. 1971. Musical fo
- Page 401 and 402: 401BLACKING, JOHN. 1973. How musica
- Page 403 and 404: 403BUCHER, KARL. 1923 (1919). Arbei
- Page 405 and 406: 405COOKE, PETER. 1998. East Africa:
- Page 407 and 408: 407ELSCHEKOVA, ALICA. 1963. “Der
- Page 409 and 410: 409GANDOUR, JACK, SORANEE H. PETTY,
- Page 411 and 412: 411HALPERN, IDA. 1975. “Music of
- Page 413 and 414: 413JELINEK, JAN. 1978. Homo erectus
- Page 415 and 416: 415methodologies? Erich Stockmann z
- Page 417 and 418: 417---- 1975. Music of Ainu. In Pro
- Page 419 and 420: 419KUTER, LOIS. Brittany. In The Ga
- Page 421 and 422: 421MACCHIARELLA, IGNAZIO. 2005. The
- Page 423 and 424: 423Symposiu m on Traditional Polyph
- Page 425 and 426: 425PERETZ, ISABELLE. 2003. Brain sp
377• As <strong>the</strong> process of <strong>the</strong> decline of good musical ear and good sound productiongoes on, some members of society stop participating in singing activities. Number ofpeople <strong>who</strong> do not participate in singing is growing as <strong>the</strong> time goes by. People withgood articulations are becoming leaders and are socially more accepted. The prevalenceof stuttering is fur<strong>the</strong>r decreasing. People with good musical ear sing and entertain those<strong>who</strong> can hear and appreciate musical sounds, but cannot sing in tune <strong>the</strong>mselves. Those<strong>who</strong> do not sing, form a new group of society – group of listeners. Division on society onperformers and listeners is born. Elements of professionalism appear.• People still sing in groups (particularly in rituals, where mass participation isbelieved to have a magic power), but as <strong>the</strong> decline of precise sound production, goodmusical ear and <strong>the</strong> sense of rhythm goes on, it is increasingly difficult to sing as wellcoordinatedand tight group. People gradually abandon singing different parts and startfollowing <strong>the</strong> main melody. Unison and heterophonic texture is on rise. Polyphonicelements are survived only in <strong>the</strong> cadencial sections of songs.• In this process of losing parts of polyphonic songs, new monophonic versions ofpolyphonic songs are born, where in <strong>the</strong> single melodic line <strong>the</strong> elements of differentparts are united. This phenomenon can be observed very often (even today) when aperson from a polyphonic culture tries to sing alone, without co-singers.• In <strong>the</strong> process of <strong>the</strong> decline of musical ear and well-coordinated grouppolyphonic singing traditions, new type of musical instrument – double (triple,quadruple) blown instruments are on <strong>the</strong> rise. Some processes that were traditionallyaccompanied by group singing are now accompanied by individual singing. Some goeswithout singing at all. Some goes with <strong>the</strong> instrumental accompaniment.• Individuals with good musical ear are appreciated in society as good singers andmusicians. They become semi-professionals <strong>who</strong> are still involved in animal husbandryor agricultural processes but have some additional income from <strong>the</strong>ir musical activity aswell. As time goes by, some talented individuals manage to lead a life as full-timemusicians.• As <strong>the</strong> process goes on, monophonic singing becomes <strong>the</strong> only form of singing.Polyphonic elements in cadences are also lost. Double blown instruments stay formallydouble, but turn into unison instruments with <strong>the</strong> same length of <strong>the</strong> pipes and samenumber of holes. Full-time musicians start developing musical instruments, making <strong>the</strong>mmore virtuoso, start going beyond <strong>the</strong> sounds and try to create a <strong>the</strong>ory of music.Tractates about music are born. Performances of highly trained performers are listened by<strong>the</strong> rest of <strong>the</strong> population. Competition between full-time musicians is on rise. The socialmodel “one performer – many listeners” is in full swing, although some processes (likeritual singing, or agricultural works) might be still accompanied by group (unison orheterophonic) singing. Long process of evolution favoring individuals with goodarticulation causes fur<strong>the</strong>r reduction of <strong>the</strong> number of individuals with stuttering ando<strong>the</strong>r speech-related pathologies.