Learn about the links between language and music via the speech-to-song illusion and what we can learn from tree rings. The speech-to-song illusion demonstrates the tight links between language and music by Steffie Drucker The Speech-to-Song Illusion. (2020). Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/illusions-and-curiosities/202002/the-speech-song-illusion Diana Deutsch - Speech-to-Song Illusion>. (2011). ucsd.edu. https://deutsch.ucsd.edu/psychology/pages.php?i=212 5th grade class: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zr9BU0bJoc Additional resources from Sturt Manning, a Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences in Classical Archaeology at Cornell University: Cornell Faculty page https://classics.cornell.edu/sturt-manning Revised tree ring data confirms ancient Mediterranean dates https://as.cornell.edu/news/revised-tree-ring-data-confirms-ancient-mediterranean-dates Maize, not metal, key to native settlements’ history in NY https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2020/03/maize-not-metal-key-native-settlements-history-ny Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day withCody Gough andAshley Hamer. Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.
Learn about the links between language and music via the speech-to-song illusion and what we can learn from tree rings.
The speech-to-song illusion demonstrates the tight links between language and music by Steffie Drucker
Additional resources from Sturt Manning, a Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences in Classical Archaeology at Cornell University:
Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.
Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/speech-to-song-illusion-and-a-high-tech-use-for-tree-rings
CODY: Hi! You’re about to get smarter in just a few minutes with Curiosity Daily from curiosity-dot-com. I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Today, you’ll learn about an audio illusion that demonstrates the tight links between language and music; and a surprising high-tech use for tree rings, with Cornell professor Sturt Manning.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
There’s obviously a difference between speaking and singing. But on a basic level, they’re the same thing: Words coming out of people’s mouths. And there’s an audio illusion that shows just how closely related they really are.
But first, what is the difference between speaking and singing? We speak at an inconsistent speed and change volume and intonation to convey emphasis or emotion. With singing, pitch changes more gradually but across a greater range, and the rhythm is generally regulated. Given these characteristic differences, scientists assumed the brain used separate neural pathways to process speech and song.
But a professor at UC San Diego discovered – accidentally – that this isn’t the case. Back in 1995, professor Diana Deutsch was putting the finishing touches on a CD she’d narrated. To make sure she hadn’t misspoke, she listened to sections of the CD on a loop. We’re gonna play a clip so you can hear what that sounded like — and remember, this is on loop, so no, your podcast app is NOT broken, this is NOT an editing mistake. Just, hang with us for the next 30 seconds or so. Trust me. Here it is:
[Sound demo 1: http://philomel.com/asa156th/mp3/Sound_Demo_1.mp3 ]
Did you start to hear “sometimes behave so strangely” as a little song? That’s what happened to professor Deutsch, too. While the phrase looped, she began working on something else and suddenly realized that the phrase now sounded like singing rather than speaking — but nothing had changed.
Deutsch calls this the “speech-to-song illusion.” She explains that a big difference between speech and song is repetition. You rarely repeat yourself in a verbal conversation, and when you recall what was said, you remember the gist of it rather than the exact words. But you don’t summarize a song when you remember it — you can recall its specific words and sound patterns. A song’s repetitive structure helps make these distinct elements more memorable. The rhythm of the phrase on Dr. Deutsch’s CD sounds like Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, and the pitch pattern resembles the Westminster chimes [hum the tune]. So when you hear the phrase looped, your brain recognizes the familiar rhythm and tune and processes it as song.
You don’t need musical training or talent for the illusion to work. A 5th grade teacher in Wisconsin played the same clip to his class, who had never met Deutsch or heard her CD. The kids began singing the phrase along with the recording!
That clip of the 5th graders, which you can find in the show notes, is from 2009. If the students listened to the phrase again today, they’d likely still hear the tune. Deutsch says this illusion produces a change in your brain that happens in a flash but can last weeks, months, and even years.
This shows just how tightly song and speech are intertwined. The human brain can sometimes behave so strangely.
Scientists are always trying to figure out how old stuff is so they can create an accurate timeline of history — things like when humans arrived in North America, when Babylonian and Syrian rulers reigned, and when Europeans first made contact with Native Americans. Well, today's guest and scientists like him have changed everything we knew about when those events took place. How? Two things: radiocarbon dating, and tree rings. Sounds like a weird combo, but you're about to learn why they're a match made in heaven. Sturt Manning is a Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences in Classical Archaeology at Cornell University. And he specializes in dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating and analysis. We asked him — how does a dating method that's so high-tech combine with something so low-tech?
[CLIP 5:16]
Wow. Not only can you figure out the exact year the wood was cut down with this method, you can figure out the season. Pretty impressive stuff! Again, that was Sturt Manning, a Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences in Classical Archaeology at Cornell University. You can find a link to more from Dr. Manning in the show notes.
Let’s do a quick recap of what we learned today
[ad lib optional]
ASHLEY: The writer for today’s first story was Steffie Drucker.
CODY: Our managing editor is Ashley Hamer, who was also an audio editor on today’s episode.
ASHLEY: Our producer and audio editor is Cody Gough.
CODY: Join us again tomorrow [to learn something new] [re-play “to learn something new” 3 times] … DA BOO DEE DA BOO DIE… in just a few minutes.
ASHLEY: And until then, stay curious!