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This study examined how societal changes associated with modernization are related to cognitive development. Data were from 4 cultural communities that represented a broad range of traditional and modern elements: the Garifuna (Belize), Logoli (Kenya), Newars (Nepal), and Samoans (American Samoa). Naturalistic observations and the performances of 3-, 5-, 7-, and 9-year-old children (N = 192) on 7 cognitive measures were examined. Results replicated age-related improvement on all measures. Contributions of modernity were evident in children’s play behaviors and cognitive performances, especially in skills related to schooling. Modernization and schooling independently predicted differences on most of the measures. Results are discussed in relation to the Flynn effect, the worldwide increase in cognitive scores across generations, and the ways in which societal modernization may contribute to cognitive development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comments on an article about the link between consonant-vowel (CV) syllables and degrees of baby-holding by Melvin and Carole R. Ember which appeared in the Volume 101, 1999 edition of the 'American Anthropologist' journal. Communicative efficiency promotion; Individual vowel and consonant sounds' sonority variations; Association of sonority with warm and mild climates.

The authors reflect on the findings concerning on how climate, plant cover and mountainous terrain affects the sonority of language. They argue that warmer climate languages contribute to a higher proportion of consonant-vowel syllables and language sonority. The authors provide a discussion on the experiment carried which focuses on measuring the length of word through phonetic segments with the aim of evaluating speech and phonetic differences in languages.