Penguins adapt their voices to sound like their companions - new study

We’ve all known a friend who came back from holiday with a French lilt in their accent. Or noticed an American twang creeping into our voice during dinner with a friend visiting from Texas.

One of us (Luigi) recently moved back to Italy from the UK, along with four-year-old daughter Emma who could barely speak Italian. Over the months she spoke more in Italian. But to our surprise, her accent and intonation sounded like those of her school friends rather than her family. She wasn’t trying to sound more like her friends. Her voice became similar to theirs simply as a result of chattering…

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