Radiolab Musical Language
Sep 24, 2007
Jonah Lehrer, writer exploring neuroscience and music; David Cope, composer who built a computer that writes in composers' styles; Diana Deutsch, psychologist who studies pitch and musical illusions. They probe how speech can become song, why some cultures develop perfect pitch, how brains crave musical pattern, and whether machines can truly compose.
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Tone Languages Treat Pitch As Meaning
- Tone languages use pitch to change word meaning, making pitch a linguistic feature.
- Diana Deutsch suggests this pitch-focus may shape auditory skills like absolute pitch.
Early Tone Exposure Boosts Absolute Pitch
- Chinese music students showed far higher rates of absolute pitch than American students when trained early.
- Deutsch links early tone-language exposure during infancy to later musical pitch abilities.
Universal Melodies In Infant-Directed Speech
- Anne Fernald recorded parents worldwide speaking to infants and found consistent melodic contours below words.
- These contours convey approval, prohibition, attention, and comfort across languages.