Small correction (native Czech speaker here): in Czech, the word for mother is "matka", not "matkandi". Most people wouldn't call their mothers "matka" though, as it sounds formal and distant. "Máma" is much more common in spoken Czech. A great article none the less, as usual!
Except, much to my wife’s chagrin, our son spontaneously started with “da-da-da-da!” For a month or so, she would hold him close, look him in the eye, and say “Mmma, mmma mmma”, only to hear him enthusiastically respond “Da, da, Da!”
From the linguistic / articulatory point of view, m and d are the easiest sounds for babies to produce. M is just easier to produce with one's lips closed in a sucking motion :) Although they probably don't mean anything when the first start producing these :)
As a pediatrician who wanted to be a jazz trombonist, I’d bet more than 50% of time in my solo pediatric practice of over 27 years, that “Dada” is usually the first word when I ask parents/Moms- even if Dad isn’t around much. Maybe I’m biased because I’m a Dad😂. I’d guess that From an oral-pharyngeal perspective- “dada” requires less muscle control than Engaging all the oro -labial muscles to make the “mama” sound. We should take a survey of pediatricians, parents and speech pathologists to verify. Hard repetitive consonant sounds are earlier (4-6 months),than softer vowel type sounds (6-9 months). It’s close, but dada is first
Wonderful exploration. One "musicologist" who talked intriguingly about this was Leonard Bernstein, who, if I'm remembering right, began "The Unanswered Question" (his Harvard Norton Lectures) by making this point about mmmmm(ama) as the ur-sound in music and in life.
When I was in high school, I worked with a boy who had pervasive developmental disorder (this was back in the 90s, so we knew less about it back then). The "humming" noise was a constant for him, too. With where he was on the spectrum, he could use sign-language to a limited amount, but verbal communication was not feasible. The "ma" sound was as close as he could go. But it stands to reason that the word evolved for him the same way. It's fascinating.
Paul McCartney once said that you can control a band with a bass guitar, if you know how. (He knows how.) I wonder if this is part of it, that he's not articulating, but sensing.
Totally. I've done it with a saxophone. It's kind of a tai chi thing. You control by not controlling. Playing pads, long sustained notes. But they have to be the right notes at the right volume.
That's why I was specifically thinking of the bass. And the way that it could approximate the ohm sound In a way that might have particular resonance. Of course in a symphony there would be other instruments that could do that, but in a rock band, it would be the bass. If someone was a master at playing it. Which of course Paul McCartney is.
Loved this. I was about to say that Greek is an exception, because Mother is Mitera, but then I realized that all Greek-speaking children and even adults use Mama in practice (actually more like Mammmma) which is even more to your point...
I'm sure they weren't the first to use drones, but quite a few of their songs do, more so than anyone else that springs to mind. Perhaps that's due to their strong folk influence?
It sounds like bagpipes, but it’s a synth. They noodled with Celtic and other folk influences, as you know, famously during their writing camp in Bron-yr-Aur, Wales.
Yes, they even had a song called ‘Bron-yr-Aur Stomp’, on Led Zeppelin III, if I remember correctly. Wasn't ‘Gallows Pole’ a ‘traditional’ song too? I thought their version of that was really great. I assume it was John Paul Jones who played the synth (a really great bassist and no slouch on keyboards either, sadly much underrated and somewhat overshadowed by the rest of the band)?
Another awesome post! For those interested: Steven Connor has written what’s basically a manifesto to Mmmm in “Beyond Words: Sobs, Hums, Stutters and Other Vocalizations.” The chapter on Mmmm is breathtaking (pun intended). Hiss, Grrr, Zzzz, Ahem…
My first word, strangely, was "Bird". I ended up being a jazz musician. I must have been very impressed by Charlie Parker in my past life ;-)
Please tell me your second word was Klactoveedsedstene 😂
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Nice😉
I came here just to mention Crash Test Dummies.
Leonard Bernstein talks about this 'monogenetic protolanguage' in his Harvard lectures! Check out the part from 18:30-19:30
https://youtu.be/8fHi36dvTdE?t=1118
I've watched the first five Norton Lectures, and am gearing up to watch the sixth. Brevity was not the man's strong suit!
Agreed and also I didn't want them to end!
I was going to mention exactly that lecture!
Exactly. Thanks for the specifics!
Small correction (native Czech speaker here): in Czech, the word for mother is "matka", not "matkandi". Most people wouldn't call their mothers "matka" though, as it sounds formal and distant. "Máma" is much more common in spoken Czech. A great article none the less, as usual!
Yes, exactly, the same thing.
Except, much to my wife’s chagrin, our son spontaneously started with “da-da-da-da!” For a month or so, she would hold him close, look him in the eye, and say “Mmma, mmma mmma”, only to hear him enthusiastically respond “Da, da, Da!”
From the linguistic / articulatory point of view, m and d are the easiest sounds for babies to produce. M is just easier to produce with one's lips closed in a sucking motion :) Although they probably don't mean anything when the first start producing these :)
As a pediatrician who wanted to be a jazz trombonist, I’d bet more than 50% of time in my solo pediatric practice of over 27 years, that “Dada” is usually the first word when I ask parents/Moms- even if Dad isn’t around much. Maybe I’m biased because I’m a Dad😂. I’d guess that From an oral-pharyngeal perspective- “dada” requires less muscle control than Engaging all the oro -labial muscles to make the “mama” sound. We should take a survey of pediatricians, parents and speech pathologists to verify. Hard repetitive consonant sounds are earlier (4-6 months),than softer vowel type sounds (6-9 months). It’s close, but dada is first
Wonderful exploration. One "musicologist" who talked intriguingly about this was Leonard Bernstein, who, if I'm remembering right, began "The Unanswered Question" (his Harvard Norton Lectures) by making this point about mmmmm(ama) as the ur-sound in music and in life.
When I was in high school, I worked with a boy who had pervasive developmental disorder (this was back in the 90s, so we knew less about it back then). The "humming" noise was a constant for him, too. With where he was on the spectrum, he could use sign-language to a limited amount, but verbal communication was not feasible. The "ma" sound was as close as he could go. But it stands to reason that the word evolved for him the same way. It's fascinating.
Mmm-hmm.
such a great song
Paul McCartney once said that you can control a band with a bass guitar, if you know how. (He knows how.) I wonder if this is part of it, that he's not articulating, but sensing.
Totally. I've done it with a saxophone. It's kind of a tai chi thing. You control by not controlling. Playing pads, long sustained notes. But they have to be the right notes at the right volume.
That's why I was specifically thinking of the bass. And the way that it could approximate the ohm sound In a way that might have particular resonance. Of course in a symphony there would be other instruments that could do that, but in a rock band, it would be the bass. If someone was a master at playing it. Which of course Paul McCartney is.
Dada is a close second from first hand experience… and most integral to the plot
Loved this. I was about to say that Greek is an exception, because Mother is Mitera, but then I realized that all Greek-speaking children and even adults use Mama in practice (actually more like Mammmma) which is even more to your point...
Never invite an M to dinner! A good old Sesame Street memory. Mmmm.
https://youtu.be/jasOAGP6YSY?si=g6WXxzpobjmLczxI
Haha! Thank you!
I love the drone in Led Zeppelin’s “In the Light”
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=pNo1nS_JV5k&si=I2YrFegfZut6gW8H
I'm sure they weren't the first to use drones, but quite a few of their songs do, more so than anyone else that springs to mind. Perhaps that's due to their strong folk influence?
It sounds like bagpipes, but it’s a synth. They noodled with Celtic and other folk influences, as you know, famously during their writing camp in Bron-yr-Aur, Wales.
Yes, they even had a song called ‘Bron-yr-Aur Stomp’, on Led Zeppelin III, if I remember correctly. Wasn't ‘Gallows Pole’ a ‘traditional’ song too? I thought their version of that was really great. I assume it was John Paul Jones who played the synth (a really great bassist and no slouch on keyboards either, sadly much underrated and somewhat overshadowed by the rest of the band)?
A meditation on the sound of mmmmm. Marvelous.
Another awesome post! For those interested: Steven Connor has written what’s basically a manifesto to Mmmm in “Beyond Words: Sobs, Hums, Stutters and Other Vocalizations.” The chapter on Mmmm is breathtaking (pun intended). Hiss, Grrr, Zzzz, Ahem…