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This anatomical difference has been cited as an important factor limiting the vocal potential of nonhuman animals, because the low larynx of humans allows a wider range of vocal tract shapes and thus formant patterns than is available to other species. However, it is not clear that the static anatomy of dead animals provides an accurate guide to the phonetic potential of the living animal\u2019s vocal tract. Here I present X-ray video observations of four mammal species (dogs <jats:italic>Canis familiaris,<\/jats:italic> goats <jats:italic>Capra hircus,<\/jats:italic> pigs <jats:italic>Sus scrofa<\/jats:italic> and cotton-top tamarins <jats:italic>Sagunius oedipus<\/jats:italic>). In all four species, the larynx was lowered from the nasopharynx, and the velum was closed, during loud calls. In dogs this temporary lowering was particularly pronounced. Although preliminary, these results suggest that the nonhuman vocal tract is more flexible than previously supposed, and that static postmortem anatomy provides an incomplete guide to the phonetic potential of nonhuman animals. The implications of these findings for theories of speech evolution are discussed.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1159\/000028474","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2003,4,15]],"date-time":"2003-04-15T09:24:25Z","timestamp":1050398665000},"page":"205-218","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":139,"title":["The Phonetic Potential of Nonhuman Vocal Tracts: Comparative Cineradiographic Observations of Vocalizing Animals"],"prefix":"10.1515","volume":"57","author":[{"given":"W.","family":"Tecumseh Fitch","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"374","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2000,8,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"2021062305174736837_j_000028474_ref_001_w2aab3b7c24b1b6b1ab1ab1Aa","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Andrew, R.J.: Use of formants in the grunts of baboons and other nonhuman primates. Ann. N.Y. Acad. 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