Music and language: Overlapping or independent systems?

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The proposed research will examine whether language and music processing rely on overlapping or independent mechanisms. Language and music are both auditory-based systems of communication that involve successive sound events organized accordingly to underlying rules. Whereas language follows rules of syntax and phonology, Western music has rules of melodic organization and harmony. Although some scholars speculate that both systems rely on the same underlying mechanisms, others argue for independence. Another view holds that associations between performance on tests of language and music processing may be the consequence of individual differences in general cognitive ability or demographic variables.