vocalizations

Vocalizations are sounds produced by the vocal apparatus to convey information or emotion. In humans, they include nonlinguistic sounds such as cries, laughter, sighs, and grunts, as well as linguistic forms like speech and singing. In other animals, vocalizations include calls, songs, whistles, and other vocal signals used to warn, attract mates, coordinate movement, or maintain social bonds. Vocalizations are not identical to language, but human vocal output often conveys rich information through prosody, timing, and grammar.

The production of vocalizations involves respiration, the larynx, and resonating cavities. The vocal folds vibrate as air passes, while the shape of the vocal tract determines pitch and timbre. Some sounds are reflexive or innate, while others are learned, especially in humans and some birds.

Researchers study vocalizations in phonetics, bioacoustics, and ethology. Key measures include duration, fundamental frequency, intensity, spectral content, and temporal patterns. Cross-species comparisons reveal a spectrum from fixed calls to highly flexible vocal learning, as seen in human language and certain songbirds.

Vocalizations serve many functions: signaling danger, establishing territory, coordinating group behavior, parent–offspring interaction, and expressing emotion. They develop and change over an individual’s life, with infants producing a wide range of sounds before acquiring structured language, and some species mastering complex vocal repertoires through imitation.