Language, music, and the brain : a mysterious relationship edited by Michael A. Arbib

Through four key themes, this book explores the relationships between language, music, and the brain and the crosstalk between them: (a) song and dance as a bridge between music and language; (b) multiple levels of structure from brain to behavior to culture; (c) the semantics of internal and external worlds and the role of emotion; and (d) the evolution and development of language. Specially commissioned as part of the Strungmann Forum Reports Series, these expositions of current research provide access to experts across disciplines and to non-experts. These chapters provide the background for reports by groups of specialists that chart current controversies and future directions of research on each theme. The book looks beyond mere auditory experience, probing the embodiment that links speech to gesture and music to dance. The study of the brains of monkeys and songbirds illuminates hypotheses on the evolution of brain mechanisms that support music and language, while the study of infants calibrates the developmental timetable of their capacities. The result is a unique book that will interest any reader seeking to learn more about language or music and will appeal especially to readers intrigued by the relationships of language and music with each other and with the brain.