Thanks everyone for your replies. I was deliberately vague as I was
interested in getting a range of suggestions (btw the goat was really
funny). Mutations in mice and zebra finches have been used to model
speech disorders where auditory feedback processes are often thought
to be implicated. The primary interest is in how CNS connectivity is
affected. But people have looked at each of these species'
vocalizations after mutation and then drawn parallels with disordered
speech. My worry about the animal models is that the vocalization
behaviors that have been observed are very different from human
speech in both its natural and disordered forms. So, I wondered
whether there was an animal model we could start with that vocalized
and heard in closer ways to humans than the existing models. Then we
could have a good look at the parallels to speech disorders after
mutation in a systematic way (whether articulatory coordination is
affected, whether they show tonic and clonic features etc.). I'd
overlooked the point Stuart made - that I should look for species
that vocalize a lot, so ta for that. We only have limited facilities
and licenses for animal work, so I am still actively seeking
suggestions, so please continue suggestions.
Peter
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