Suoni, ambienti, linguaggi.

Abstract

The three terms mentioned in the title refer to a stratification of interrelated issues. It is through language that knowledge of the world and its forms is constructed. However, language is already a formalised sound intended to express thought by creating links, certainly between individuals, but also between a community and its environment. Anthropological and ethnomusicological studies have shown that different «phonospheres» have a decisive influence on the way human groups choose their acoustic means of expression, bending the sound continuum to meet very different functional needs: from ritual to work, from the management of everyday life to entertainment. I will try to highlight these aspects using three examples from cultures spread over different areas of the planet: the BaMbuti Pygmies (Central Africa), the Kaluli of Bosavi (Papua New Guinea) and the Australian Aborigines. Finally, I will try to hypothesise a framework of possible phylogenetic recurrences, albeit within the limits of a concise exposition.