Why Only Humans Have Language
Thursday 12th January 2023, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM (London Time)
Language and speech, in the forms we have them, are unique to humans.
Why should that be?
I will suggest that they evolved in our lineage to bond the very large groups that we evolved, and probably only dates back around 200,000 years or so.
Although we do use it to say things about ourselves (a kind of advertising function), in fact we gain most of our information on this aspect of who we are from non-verbal cues.
Rather, the main function of speech seems to be to allow us to tell stories – everything from jokes to history to fiction.
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Professor Robin Dunbar
Robin Dunbar MA PhD DSc(Hon) FRAI FBA is Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at the University of Oxford, an Emeritus Fellow of Magdalen College, and an elected...
Attend this course for as little as £22 as part of the Voice Professional Training CPD Award Scheme.
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Tuesday 19th May 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
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Kourtney Austin
Historical vocal pedagogy, voice science, voice health, and performance practice come together in this presentation from Kourtney Austin! The session addresses the historical context for teaching the onset as a fundamental skill, along with a review of a recent publication examining the acoustic effects of different types of onset, and practical studio implementation of onset training. The aforementioned publication is the first known research to objectively measure the acoustic implications of the coup de la glotte, and delineate it from the hard glottal attack.
Thursday 21st May 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
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Letting the Text Live: Reading Aloud with Expression!
Louisa Morgan
This 2-hour interactive session is designed to help you make more deliberate, expressive choices in your speaking of the written word. It will involve plenty of practical exploration and will cover tips and techniques for working with the voice to lift the text off the page. Work with me to refine nuance, precision, and expressive range. We’ll explore a variety of text samples to cover a wide range of real-world situations, so you can get a feel for the different styles and approaches. If you want your spoken text to sound purposeful, engaging, and unmistakably yours, this session will invite you to play with some tools to do just that.