An international team proposes replacing Hockett’s feature checklist with a model of language as a dynamic, multimodal, and socially evolving system.

Human language may seem messy and inefficient compared to the ultra-compact strings of ones and zeros used by computers—but our brains actually prefer it that way. New research reveals that while ...

Language is more than just spoken and written words. It’s the lens through which we see the world. Language is a beautifully intricate system that allows us to express our thoughts, emotions and ...

There's a common assumption that if someone starts learning a language when they are very young, they will quickly become ...

Humans' unique language capacity was present at least 135,000 years ago, according to a survey of genomic evidence. As such, language might have entered social use 100,000 years ago. It is a deep ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. Among the myriad abilities that humans possess, which ones are uniquely human? Language has been a top candidate at least since ...

John Fiset receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Devasheesh Bhave receives funding from the Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE) Academic Research Fund (AcRF).