Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 February 2005
The definition of motherese is extended to infant-directed vocalizations in non-hominin mammals. In many species, vocal interactions between mothers and their infants are common. The neural substrates mediating these interactions include the rostral limbic cortex of the frontal lobe. Spoken language may have arisen from hominin females vocalizing to their infants.
The author of this commentary is employed by a government agency and as such this commentary is considered a work of the U.S. government and not subject to copyright within the United States.