A new framework argues that human language did not arise from a single evolutionary leap but from the convergence of many biological abilities and cultural processes.

Language was long understood as a human-only affair. New research suggests that isn’t so. Credit...Illustration by Denise Nestor Supported by By Sonia Shah Can a mouse learn a new song? Such a ...

A new Science paper challenges the idea that language stems from a single evolutionary root. Instead, it proposes that our ability to communicate evolved through the interaction of biology and culture ...

In a re-evaluation of Hockett's foundational features that have long dominated linguistic theory—concepts like "arbitrariness ...

Humans are the only species on Earth known to use language. They do this by combining sounds into words and words into sentences, creating infinite meanings. This process is based on linguistic rules ...

Stephen has degrees in science (Physics major) and arts (English Literature and the History and Philosophy of Science), as well as a Graduate Diploma in Science Communication. Stephen has degrees in ...

New research reveals sperm whale communication is more complex than thought. Instead of simple clicks, whales use vowel-like sounds. These patterns a ...

Language is commonly understood as the instrument of thought. People “talk it out” and “speak their mind,” follow “trains of thought” or “streams of consciousness.” Some of the pinnacles of human ...

Studies of animal ethology began long ago, but today’s popular animal cognition books largely began with Stanley Coren in 1994, the year he published The Intelligence of Dogs. Coren had been a highly ...