Linguistic Differences in Singers
History of Linguistics
The study of languages, known as linguistics, can be traced back to ancient civilizations as far back as 600 BCE. One of the earliest recorded signs of changing languages is found in Classical Greece and Rome, around the 4th Century; famous scholars such as Plato and Aristotle were among the first to study the structure and phonetics of the shifting language.
Soon after, Old English began to come into play in another part of the continent. This developed into Middle English around the 10th Century, and later became what we speak today. The changes in language are subtle, but unrecognizable to English speakers; spelling was often simple and pronunciation based, but as the language progressed, it became more complex.
Lung Anatomy
When it comes to the human body, not many changes occurred within a single language area; evolution was long past, and perhaps the only notable change between lung anatomy then and now would be changes in muscle and bone strength. The lung was believed to be made of fungus-like material, only changing due to compression; the knowledge of an object returning to its "original placement" (much like a spring will return to the center after being displaced) was naturally believed to be true, as we can see from Leonardo da Vinci's view of lungs:
"The substance of the lung is dilatable and extensible like the tinder made from a fungus. But it is spongy and if you press it, it yields to the force which compresses it, and if the force is removed, it increases again to its original size." -- Leonardo da Vinci, 15th century
Spanish Singers
Spanish linguistics includes a mixture of influences from Latin, Arabic, and indigenous sources, giving it a unique vocabulary and phonetic characteristics. It also has a consistent and a simple grammatical structure, with verb conjunctions that play important roles in the uniqueness of the language.
To test and compare the time graphs between different languages, I recorded the vowel "A" in a Spanish song, using held notes and Spanish words to best replicate what the "A" sound looks like in a graph.
When comparing this graph to the others below, the first noticeable difference is a higher, more elongated amplitude that has a relatively average-sixed wave length. The timbre is where it gets interested; it suggests that the multiples of pure tones have a wider range when it comes to lengths and amplitudes.
English Singers
English linguistics is characterized by the rich vocabulary it uses; it draws from Germanic, Romance, and other languages that have plenty of historical and colonial history to them. It has a flexible word order and a relatively simplified verb conjugation system compared to many other languages, making it both simple to pronounce but also complex when it comes to spelling.
To text the English sound, I sang a generic, English song and isolated the "A" sound to see the best results. The sound in general is much quieter and difficult to pick-up using the microphone; it's much rounder, therefore not being as prominent as, say, the Spanish "A". The Spanish version is more nasal, whereas the English vowel is much more hidden, and can therefore be difficult to detect.
The English time graph is much more even throughout, and has a longer wave length; this tells us that there is more consistency when it comes to length, and that the same pattern above follows below, meaning there are much less multiple pure tones needed to create this pattern.
French Singers
The French language originates primarily from Latin; it was brought Roman soldiers and settlers around the 1st century, and since then has flourished into its own unique language. Over time, it evolved through various influences, including Celtic, Frankish, and Old Norse. Today, it is the primary romance language to be spoken around the world.
This is the most interesting of the 3 languages to study, when it comes to linguistic differences and the reasoning behind it's sharpness. That is my primary observation; the French time graph is particularly sharp, but has a similar amplitude and timbre to Spanish. The English graph is much more mellow, whereas both French and Spanish require more pure tones that range in size to create their unique look. The "A" Spanish sound had quite a high mouth placement, which could explain why the French "A" sound seems sharper in the image.
Why Do Different Languages Exist?
Although the history is vital in explaining the origin of language (or linguistics) itself, changes in phonetic sounds and why certain areas sound certain ways is not thoroughly expressed. A number of factors are taken into account when discovering the origin of languages, such as Spanish and French.
Geography
When communities isolate themselves, they begin to develop unique languages in order to communicate aspects that are specific to that community. One community might have a more important aspect to communicate, while another would find the same aspect unnecessary. As time went by, these communities began to interact more with each other, but in the primary isolation, unique languages were formed.
History and Politics
Migration, conquests, and political boundaries are just some of the ways new languages were formed. When communities were divided or moved around, language would diverge or a new form of communication (language) would be created. As well, when different language communities came into contact, they borrowed words and linguistic features from one another, leading to a variety of mixed languages.
Linguistic Innovation
In the same way languages developed throughout time, more complex innovation for language enhanced all the different languages, making them even more unique to each of their separate cultures.
- ↑ "A History of the Lungs". Retrieved March 10, 2024.