How Our Environment Shapes the Way We Speak

By: Sheekha Sanghvi

By: Jason de Brito

It’s fascinating to see how our surroundings can impact everything from how we speak to how we understand each other. Researchers Ian Maddiessen and Christophe Coupe explored this idea in their 2015 study published in The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. They discovered that the environment where people live can significantly influence the sounds they use in their languages. Imagine if the melodies of local birds or the hum of city traffic could affect the way you speak! In this blog, we’ll dive into how different environments might shape the way languages sound and why this research is so interesting.

What is Acoustic Adaptation Theory?

Acoustic Adaptation Theory (AAT) suggests that the sounds in our languages evolve based on our surroundings. For example, in places with dense forests and frequent rainfall, sharp consonants (like the hard sounds in “strict”) might become less distinct due to ambient noise. People might use more vowel sounds instead, which travel further and are easier to hear in such environments.

desert

To illustrate,  Maddieson and Coupe compare the words “strict” and “away.” The word “strict” has many consonants, which can be hard to hear if there’s a lot of background noise. On the other hand, “away” has more vowels, making it clearer in noisy settings. By filtering out the high frequencies from both words, “strict” becomes harder to distinguish, while “away” remains easier to hear. This shows how certain sounds are better suited to specific environments.

Interestingly, this concept extends beyond human languages. Birds also adapt their songs based on their environment. In dense forests, they use simpler songs with lower frequencies, similar to how people might adjust their speech in similar settings.

What Did the Researchers Find?

bird

Maddiessen and Coupe examined a wide range of languages and looked at factors like temperature, rainfall, and vegetation. They found that languages in warmer, wetter regions with abundant trees often use more vowel sounds, while languages in cooler, drier areas with fewer trees favor more consonants. The researchers aim to investigate how often different sounds are used in everyday speech across various languages. This will help us understand how our environment influences the way we communicate.

Why It Matters

Understanding how our surroundings affect language is fascinating. It reveal the adaptability of human communication and provides insights into how we might improve our interactions in different environments. Just as animals adapt their sounds to fit their habitats, we tweak our languages to suit our surroundings, demonstrating the dynamic nature of human speech.

At MCIS Language Solutions, we’re passionate about exploring and celebrating linguistic diversity. By looking into how environmental factors shape language, we gain a deeper understanding of human expression and work towards more effective and empathetic communication. Learn more about our services and how we can assist you in navigating the world of languages here

Curious to learn more about Acoustic Adaptation Theory? Check out the full study here