Form follows function in human nonverbal vocalisations

Until recently, human nonverbal vocalisations such as cries, laughs, screams, moans, and groans have received relatively little attention in the behavioural sciences. Yet these vocal signals are ubiquitous social interactions across diverse cultures may represent a missing link between fixed nonhuman animal highly flexible speech. Here, we review converging empirical evidence that acoustic structure (“forms”) of affective sounds humans reflect their evolved biological “functions”. Human thus largely parallel form-function mapping found calls other animals, play vocalisations, distress aggressive roars, pointing to homologous communication system shared mammals, including humans. We aim illustrate how this approach can provide solid framework for making predictions, about cross-species cross-cultural universals or variations production perception vocalisations. Despite preliminary key features indeed be universal develop reliably distinct cultures, small-scale societies, emphasise important role control among Unlike most terrestrial mammals primates, people flexibly manipulate from conversational laughter fake pleasure moans exaggerated roar-like threat displays. discuss cradle control, precursor speech articulation, providing insight into origins Finally, describe ground-breaking parametric synthesis technologies now allowing researchers create naturalistic, yet fully experimentally controlled stimuli directly test hypotheses form function opening way new era voice