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Speech adapts to differences in dentition within and across populations
1Department of Anthropology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA. caleb@miami.edu.
Scientific Reports
|January 14, 2021
Summary
Dental anatomy influences language. Populations with specific bite types, like edge-to-edge bites common in hunter-gatherers, use fewer labiodental consonants, showing speech adapts to physical traits.
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Anthropology
- Phonetics
Background:
- Dental malocclusion and reduced dental wear are hypothesized to influence language adaptation.
- Previous research is contrasted with a usage-based approach examining sound frequencies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if dental anatomy, specifically malocclusion, drives reliance on labiodental consonants in languages.
- To investigate the relationship between bite types and the frequency of labiodental sounds across diverse populations.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of phonetically transcribed word lists and texts from thousands of languages.
- Usage-based approach to quantify labiodental consonant frequency.
- Statistical modeling (frequentist and Bayesian linear mixed models) to control for Galton's problem.
- Examination of data from Amazonian hunter-gatherers and English speakers with varying bite types.
Main Results:
- Labiodental consonants are infrequent in languages of hunter-gatherers with edge-to-edge bites.
- Populations with overbites/overjets (softer diets, utensil use) show a stronger tendency for labiodental use.
- Data from Amazonian hunter-gatherers and English speakers corroborate the link between bite type and labiodental frequency.
Conclusions:
- Speech patterns demonstrably adapt to anatomical variations within and across human populations.
- Dental anatomy, particularly bite type, is a significant factor shaping the phonemic inventory of languages.
- The findings support a direct link between physical traits and linguistic evolution.
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