We suggest that both the Bordoni and the Hasiguti peaks (of the typeP1andP3) be addressed in terms of one basic microscopic mechanism; the nucleation of multikink–antikink pairs in pinned dislocation segments. Correspondingly, the relevant activation energies are multiples of one quantum of energy, the single kink (antikink) rest energy, whence the possibility of ordering these internal friction peaks according to simple spectral series. Such a conclusion appears to be consistent with the experimental data. ©1995 American Institute of Physics.