All languages strive to be efficient According to an influential theory in cognitive science, all human language is shaped by the need to be able to communicate effectively. At the same time, a ...

Why do humans have language and other animals apparently don't? It's one of the most enduring questions in the study of mind and communication. Across all cultures, humans use richly expressive ...

It is a deep question, from deep in our history: When did human language as we know it emerge? A new survey of genomic evidence suggests our unique language capacity was present at least 135,000 years ...

It is a deep question, from deep in our history: when did human language as we know it emerge? A new survey of genomic ...

A new study explores the long-debated question of when humans first developed language. Genome-level research suggests early Homo sapiens may have begun using language around 135,000 years ago. While ...

Wild chimpanzees alter the meaning of single calls when embedding them into diverse call combinations, mirroring linguistic operations in human language. Human language, however, allows an infinite ...

Language has long been considered a uniquely human trait, with features that mark it out as distinct from the communication of all other species. However, research published in Science has uncovered ...

Birdsongs have inspired poets and lovers, becoming one of the philosophical focal points in ancient Greece and Rome. They have also led to several long-ago debates about the relationship between ...

Anna Jon-And receives funding from from the Swedish Research Council and has received funding from Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. Johan Lind has received funding from the Swedish Research ...