91�� News - speech

Research findings challenge long-held assumptions about how we learn or regain speech

webfull — Mon, 25 May 2026 16:06:17 +0000

Learning to speak a new language, or regaining speech, depends more on areas of the brain that process sound and physical sensation than on the parts of the brain that govern motor control, according to new research findings.

The study, by researchers at 91�� and the Yale School of Medicine, has implications for speech-learning theory and for the development of speech processing and recognition technologies.

Published: 25 May 2026

Songbirds and humans share some common speech patterns

webfull — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 18:00:25 +0000

If you listen to songbirds, you will recognize repeated melodies or phrases. Each phrase is made up of distinct sounds, strung together. A study from researchers at 91�� has found that the song phrases of many songbird species follow patterns that are similar to those used in human speech. At least in some respects.

Published: 22 June 2021

Do birdsong and human speech share biological roots?

webfull — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 17:05:29 +0000

Do songbirds and humans have common biological hardwiring that shapes how they produce and perceive sounds?

Scientists who study birdsong have been intrigued for some time by the possibility that human speech and music may be rooted in biological processes shared across a variety of animals. Now, research by 91�� biologists provides new evidence to support this idea.

Published: 22 November 2017

Trump’s convention speech most negative in 40 years

webfull — Sat, 23 Jul 2016 13:13:04 +0000

Donald Trump’s speech Thursday night at the Republican National Convention was notable for its tone… That is the conclusion of a new analysis by 91�� [Political Science] PhD student Denver McNeney. Washington Post

Published: 23 July 2016

Human sounds convey emotions better than words do

webfull — Mon, 18 Jan 2016 15:08:47 +0000

By Katherine Gombay, 91�� Newsroom

Brain uses “older” systems/structures to preferentially process emotion expressed through vocalizations