The (Co)Evolution of Language and Music Under Human Self-Domestication

Together with language, music is perhaps the most distinctive behavioral trait of the human species. Different hypotheses have been proposed to explain why only humans perform music and how this ability might have evolved in our species. In this paper, we advance a new model of music evolution that...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Benítez Burraco, Antonio, Nikolsky, Aleksey
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
Repositorio:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
OAI Identifier:oai:idus.us.es:11441/169410
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/11441/169410
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-023-09447-1
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Music evolution
Language evolution
Self-domestication
Cultural niche construction
Music transmission
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spelling The (Co)Evolution of Language and Music Under Human Self-DomesticationBenítez Burraco, AntonioNikolsky, AlekseyMusic evolutionLanguage evolutionSelf-domesticationCultural niche constructionMusic transmissionTogether with language, music is perhaps the most distinctive behavioral trait of the human species. Different hypotheses have been proposed to explain why only humans perform music and how this ability might have evolved in our species. In this paper, we advance a new model of music evolution that builds on the self-domestication view of human evolution, according to which the human phenotype is, at least in part, the outcome of a process similar to domestication in other mammals, triggered by the reduction in reactive aggression responses to environmental changes. We specifically argue that self-domestication can account for some of the cognitive changes, and particularly for the behaviors conducive to the complexification of music through a cultural mechanism. We hypothesize four stages in the evolution of music under self-domestication forces: (1) collective protomusic; (2) private, timbre-oriented music; (3) small-group, pitch-oriented music; and (4) collective, tonally organized music. This line of development encompasses the worldwide diversity of music types and genres and parallels what has been hypothesized for languages. Overall, music diversity might have emerged in a gradual fashion under the effects of the enhanced cultural niche construction as shaped by the progressive decrease in reactive (i.e., impulsive, triggered by fear or anger) aggression and the increase in proactive (i.e., premeditated, goal-directed) aggression.Springer NatureLengua Española, Lingüística y Teoría de la LiteraturaHUM972: Biolingüística2023info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/11441/169410https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-023-09447-1reponame:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevillainstname:Universidad de Sevilla (US)InglésHuman nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.), 34 (2), 229-275.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12110-023-09447-1info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:idus.us.es:11441/1694102026-06-17T12:51:07Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv The (Co)Evolution of Language and Music Under Human Self-Domestication
title The (Co)Evolution of Language and Music Under Human Self-Domestication
spellingShingle The (Co)Evolution of Language and Music Under Human Self-Domestication
Benítez Burraco, Antonio
Music evolution
Language evolution
Self-domestication
Cultural niche construction
Music transmission
title_short The (Co)Evolution of Language and Music Under Human Self-Domestication
title_full The (Co)Evolution of Language and Music Under Human Self-Domestication
title_fullStr The (Co)Evolution of Language and Music Under Human Self-Domestication
title_full_unstemmed The (Co)Evolution of Language and Music Under Human Self-Domestication
title_sort The (Co)Evolution of Language and Music Under Human Self-Domestication
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Benítez Burraco, Antonio
Nikolsky, Aleksey
author Benítez Burraco, Antonio
author_facet Benítez Burraco, Antonio
Nikolsky, Aleksey
author_role author
author2 Nikolsky, Aleksey
author2_role author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Lengua Española, Lingüística y Teoría de la Literatura
HUM972: Biolingüística
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Music evolution
Language evolution
Self-domestication
Cultural niche construction
Music transmission
topic Music evolution
Language evolution
Self-domestication
Cultural niche construction
Music transmission
description Together with language, music is perhaps the most distinctive behavioral trait of the human species. Different hypotheses have been proposed to explain why only humans perform music and how this ability might have evolved in our species. In this paper, we advance a new model of music evolution that builds on the self-domestication view of human evolution, according to which the human phenotype is, at least in part, the outcome of a process similar to domestication in other mammals, triggered by the reduction in reactive aggression responses to environmental changes. We specifically argue that self-domestication can account for some of the cognitive changes, and particularly for the behaviors conducive to the complexification of music through a cultural mechanism. We hypothesize four stages in the evolution of music under self-domestication forces: (1) collective protomusic; (2) private, timbre-oriented music; (3) small-group, pitch-oriented music; and (4) collective, tonally organized music. This line of development encompasses the worldwide diversity of music types and genres and parallels what has been hypothesized for languages. Overall, music diversity might have emerged in a gradual fashion under the effects of the enhanced cultural niche construction as shaped by the progressive decrease in reactive (i.e., impulsive, triggered by fear or anger) aggression and the increase in proactive (i.e., premeditated, goal-directed) aggression.
publishDate 2023
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2023
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/11441/169410
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-023-09447-1
url https://hdl.handle.net/11441/169410
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-023-09447-1
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Human nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.), 34 (2), 229-275.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12110-023-09447-1
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Springer Nature
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Springer Nature
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
instname:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
instname_str Universidad de Sevilla (US)
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