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I was a little bored, so I decided to watch a Chomsky video on linguistics. There was quite a bit about language and how it develops in children. That got me to thinking about how rhythm and prosody might figure into the equation somehow, and how maybe autistic children, (we have a neighbor's child), never really learned much language, though he could focus intensely on certain "tasks". I was thinking that maybe if the prosody wasn't learned that maybe that's why autistic children don't pick up as fast on language?
Then I was sort of contemplating that prosody, rhythm and music is not enjoyed the same way, if at all in animals as it is in humans. Is it something in the brain? So I decided to google the difference between human brains and a near primate, and found this really cool video. I've said years ago that the only difference in human and animal brains was imagination, but what the heck is that,lol!
As you watch the video, you will see the contrast between how a chimp's brain works and a human brain works, however with autistic children in mind, it almost seems like their brain might work closer to the chimp?? I find it very fascinating!

http://youtu.be/fzUyX5kezb0

Okay that was a little distraction from my main premise of rhythm and prosody in language learning,lol, because I've noticed that a non-native English speaker is hard to follow until you find their rhythm and prosody. It's also probably easier to learn a new language if you speak in the prosodies and rhythms of the new language.

Maybe that was useless info,lol, I just found it interesting and wanted to share.
~Len

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/266426.php

This is a fairly recent (last fall) study on imagination and brain function, and may perhaps in the future help determine why only humans speak, enjoy music, autism?, I suppose they would need to discover the chemical, neurological processes that allow various parts of the brain to work in synergy, and not other animals?

Does this all tie into songwriting?? I think so. More study is needed and a plan of action on my part. Nothing conclusive yet,lol! Just the brewing of ideas to better focus a sensible approach to my songwriting.
One step closer to my understanding.

Hello Catherine! After sleeping on it, I decided to delete this post, I didn't think anyone would really be interested,lol!

I agree that animals can respond to music, though very limited as far as language and prosody, maybe as much as a two year old human.

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/rea ... ith-humans

Animals brains are wired differently, as seen in the video on the chimps that could perform memory tasks that humans, most anyway, wouldn't do very well at all by comparison.

"Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction, by impaired verbal and non-verbal communication, and by restricted, repetitive or stereotyped behavior. The diagnostic criteria require that symptoms become apparent before a child is three years old.[2] Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize; how this occurs is not well understood.[3]..."

Language affects not only how we communicate, but how we think. Deja Vu is a French word that has no comparable word in English, so we borrow the French word.
If the human brain as evidenced by the functional MRI (fMRI), uses many parts of the brain in our thought processes, perhaps also in our construction of language and understanding, how might the data of chimps, or even autistics compare??
Might the brains of the chimps and/or autistics be more compartmentalized??

I love animals, and they are cute when we dress them up and interpret their actions as human, especially infants, but are they happiest in that environment?

A couple of weeks ago, the Kansas City Zoo was put on lockdown, because a few chimpanzees escaped their exhibit. They got out by using a stick and pole vaulting upon the wall and then over. On the news they said that chimps were the most dangerous animal that could escape, even above the gorillas!
I wouldn't have ever guessed that. They are so cute when they are dressed up and eating oatmeal in a high chair out of a bowl and with a spoon, or riding their tricycles.

Maybe it's a good thing after all that animals can't speak and let humans do the talking for them.

Ah yes, Robert Sapolsky, I've watched several of his lectures on youtube, mostly about the brain.

https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_sapols ... _of_humans

Not sure if I've seen this one, I think so but I'm gonna watch again

Here is something interesting, the chimps at kyoto seem to have eidetic memory per their researcher

"...Even though many studies have been conducted to elucidate eidetic memory, very little is known about it. More often then not it has been associated with individuals who have mental abnormalities. This can be seen in autistic savants and FG syndrome. It is believed that eidetic memory is mostly found in children but is lost as they mature. One theory has it that as children develop verbal skills this interferes with eidetic imagery and they begin to lose this ability. Only further testing over time will tell if eidetic memory is real."

So it would be curious that if the chimps ever developed verbal skills, they would lose their eidetic memory??
Or that possibly autistic children who never develop verbal skills might also have eidetic memory?? There seems to be some strange parallels, or coincidence.

I have to rethink my position on what further study of language and prosody has to benefit songwriting that isn't already taken as a given.