Vocalization

The term vocalization, in the broadest sense, refers to sound produced by the vocal system. Vocalizations are an essential part of communication for a large set of animals including amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Among these species, vocal productions depend upon three components: a respiratory system with lungs, a larynx, and a supralaryngeal vocal tract. The types of vocalizations that can be produced have been examined in a wide variety of animals, ranging from Norway rats to elephant seals, from wolves to baboons, and from dolphins to macaques, with a substantial diversity of vocal types, but a limited set of communicative messages. By comparison, human vocalizations are diverse in both form and function, from grunts, cries, and coughs, to words and phrases produced with a ...