Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Matta, David (Daoud)
Format: Recurso digital
Language:
Published: Zenodo 2026
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19114824
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866901948851027968
author Matta, David (Daoud)
author_facet Matta, David (Daoud)
contents <p>Song is not the sum of music and language. It is what emerges when they are sufficiently compatible and integrated. This paper proposes a generative framework — the Coherence-Constrained Emergence Theory of Song (CCETS) — that explains how and why this emergence occurs. While prior research has examined structural and neural overlaps between music and language, existing accounts remain largely descriptive. In contrast, CCETS introduces a selection-based model, arguing that song emerges only under constraints of fitness — including prosodic alignment, phonetic compatibility, and affective congruence — and coherence, defined as the integrated stabilization of sound and meaning.</p> <p>Music is conceptualized as a continuous affective field, whereas language is treated as a discrete symbolic structure. Song is not a simple combination of the two, but an emergent system resulting from their constrained coupling. The framework is supported by insights from neuroscience, linguistics, and music theory, and illustrated through cases across musical genres.</p> <p>The paper further proposes operational dimensions for fitness and coherence, enabling future empirical testing and computational modeling. By shifting from descriptive accounts to a generative mechanism, CCETS offers a novel perspective on music-language integration and contributes to ongoing discussions in aesthetics, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence.</p>
format Recurso digital
id zenodo_https___doi_org_10_5281_zenodo_19114824
institution Zenodo
language
publishDate 2026
publisher Zenodo
record_format zenodo
spellingShingle The Birth of Song: A Generative Theory of Music–Language Integration
Matta, David (Daoud)
<p>Song is not the sum of music and language. It is what emerges when they are sufficiently compatible and integrated. This paper proposes a generative framework — the Coherence-Constrained Emergence Theory of Song (CCETS) — that explains how and why this emergence occurs. While prior research has examined structural and neural overlaps between music and language, existing accounts remain largely descriptive. In contrast, CCETS introduces a selection-based model, arguing that song emerges only under constraints of fitness — including prosodic alignment, phonetic compatibility, and affective congruence — and coherence, defined as the integrated stabilization of sound and meaning.</p> <p>Music is conceptualized as a continuous affective field, whereas language is treated as a discrete symbolic structure. Song is not a simple combination of the two, but an emergent system resulting from their constrained coupling. The framework is supported by insights from neuroscience, linguistics, and music theory, and illustrated through cases across musical genres.</p> <p>The paper further proposes operational dimensions for fitness and coherence, enabling future empirical testing and computational modeling. By shifting from descriptive accounts to a generative mechanism, CCETS offers a novel perspective on music-language integration and contributes to ongoing discussions in aesthetics, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence.</p>
title The Birth of Song: A Generative Theory of Music–Language Integration
url https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19114824