Humming: Difference between revisions
→Meaning: I have removed unsourced references and (particularly) the 2008 reference to a London Zoo survey - this survey is highly biased in favoured of 'online' informants. I have re-written in order to emphasise the physical/mechanical origins |
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==Meaning== |
==Meaning== |
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[[File:Ramphodon naevius with flower.jpg|thumb|right|220px|A [[Saw-billed Hermit|hummingbird]] with flower]] |
[[File:Ramphodon naevius with flower.jpg|thumb|right|220px|A [[Saw-billed Hermit|hummingbird]] with flower]] |
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Prior to the 18th century, singing was used in England as a form of [[applause]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2009} |
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Prior to the 18th century, singing was used in England as a form of [[applause]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}} Whole crowds would hum to show their approval of a public statement, a sermon, or a piece of news. We still use humming as a signal of approval during everyday communication (for example, when talking on the phone, we often produce humming "Uh-huh" to show our approval). An informal research conducted by the London zoo found out that humans mostly hum when they feel very well.<ref>{{cite web |title=Humming makes you happy |url= http://www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo/news/humming-makes-you-happy,438,NS.html }}</ref> Humming can also upset listeners, particularly if the humming is out of tune. Humming can also be attributed to being [[boredom|bored]]. The person who is bored makes an ostentatious show of humming to indicate their impatience. Humming might also be a sign of being in an uncomfortable situation in which, out of nervousness, a person starts humming. Humming can also be used to show feelings of emptiness. |
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A 'hum' or 'humming' by humans is created by the resonance of air in various parts of passages in the head and throat, in the act of breathing. The 'hum' that a 'hummingbird' creates is also created by resonance: in this case by the passage of air against wings in the actions of flying, especially of hovering. |
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The sound of a 'buzz' as in 'buzzing bees' is often regarded as a reference to a 'hum'. Again the reference is to resonance. |
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Resonance is the prolongation, amplification or modification of a sound by vibration.Humming is indicative that a mechanical or electrical vibration is occuring. A vibration is an oscillation - a wavering or fluctuation - between two conditions or degrees.<ref>Longman (1968). Modern English Dictionary.London:Longman Group Limited <ref> |
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==Humming in human evolution== |
==Humming in human evolution== |
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Revision as of 18:52, 3 December 2011
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2009) |
A hum is a sound made by humming a wordless tone with the mouth opened or closed, forcing the sound to emerge from the nose. To hum is to produce such a sound, most often with a melody. It is difficult to hum with your nose pinched closed for more than a few seconds.[original research?] It keeps the volume at a low level, so humming is rarely used in musical productions, with some exceptions such as scat singing and vocables. Humming is sometimes used to keep the melody when the singer does not know the lyrics.
A hum has a particular timbre (or sound quality), usually a monotone or with slightly varying tones. There are other similar sounds not produced by human singing that are also called hums, such as a sound produced by machinery in operation or by an insect in flight. The hummingbird was named for the sound that bird makes in flight.
Meaning
Prior to the 18th century, singing was used in England as a form of applause.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}
A 'hum' or 'humming' by humans is created by the resonance of air in various parts of passages in the head and throat, in the act of breathing. The 'hum' that a 'hummingbird' creates is also created by resonance: in this case by the passage of air against wings in the actions of flying, especially of hovering.
The sound of a 'buzz' as in 'buzzing bees' is often regarded as a reference to a 'hum'. Again the reference is to resonance.
Resonance is the prolongation, amplification or modification of a sound by vibration.Humming is indicative that a mechanical or electrical vibration is occuring. A vibration is an oscillation - a wavering or fluctuation - between two conditions or degrees.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). Many social animals produce seemingly haphazard and indistinct sounds (like chicken cluck) when they are going about their everyday business (foraging, feeding). These sounds have two functions: (1) to let group members know that they are among kin and there is no danger, and (2) in case of the appearance of any signs of danger (suspicious sounds, movements in a forest), the animal that notices danger first, stops moving, stops producing sounds, remains silent and looks in the direction of the danger sign. Other animals quickly follow suit and very soon all the group is silent and is scanning the environment for the possible danger. Charles Darwin was the first to notice this phenomenon on the example of the wild horses and the cattle (Darwin, Descent of Men, 2004:123). Jordania suggested that for humans, as for many social animals, silence can be a sign of danger, and that's why gentle humming and musical sounds relax humans (see the use of gentle music in music therapy, lullabies).[1]
Music
Humming is often used in music of genres, from classical to jazz to R&B.
See also
- Kazoo
- The Hum - an apparently widespread phenomenon involving a low-frequency hum of unknown origin, inaudible to most people
- Mains hum - an electric or electromagnetic phenomenon that causes a low frequency (50 or 60 Hz) audible signal
References
External links
