Re: Masochistic Grammar - YANNC

On Tue, 14 Nov 2000 08:09:56 +0000, Rik Roots <rikroots@...>
wrote:

>I have read (or seen - can't remember) somewhere that birds have two
>sets of vocal chords, meaning they can produce two completely
>different notes at the same time - so the idea of one set of vocal
>chords producing the main word flow, with a second set adding extra
>(tonal?) information to the combined output is not that far fetched...
Not exactly vocal cords -- more like vibrating membranes. The syrinx, the
organ that produces sound in birds, is at the base of the trachea where it
branches. Each half of the syrinx can produce sound independently. The
spectrum of the resulting complex sound is further modified by the trachea,
which can change its resonant frequency.

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