Sound, language and emotion have strong links. Over 130 years ago, Darwin suggested that speech and melody have the same ancestor. Now two academics have returned to the idea and are currently researching the connection between sound and emotion in relation to language.

It seems that the tone of someone’s voice can affect our emotions in the same way that other sounds in the natural world can, such as running water or barking dogs.

We can feel calm, anxious, excited or happy and can even have our perceptions altered by the tones we hear.

Read on to explore the connection between sounds and emotions as we think about what this means for language. Continue reading →