Speech, Rhythm, and the Brain

Abstract

Introduction Think of “rhythm” and what most likely comes to mind are music and dance. We intuitively “know” what good rhythm is, especially when it comes to entertainment. Indeed, rhythm is vital for the expression of emotion in the arts. But what often goes unappreciated is that rhythm also plays an important role in various forms of acoustic signaling, including spoken language and nonhuman communication (Kotz et al., 2018).