Evolution of language

Evolution of language is the gradual change in human language over time. It involves the origin and divergence of languages and language families, and can be considered analogous to biological evolution, although it does not necessarily occur through the same mechanisms.

Latest Research and Reviews

Research
10 November 2021 | Open Access

Triangulation supports agricultural spread of the Transeurasian languages

A ‘triangulation’ approach combining linguistics, archaeology and genetics suggests that the origin and spread of Transeurasian family of languages can be traced back to early millet farmers in Neolithic North East Asia.
- Martine Robbeets
- , Remco Bouckaert
- & Chao Ning
Nature 599, 616-621
Research
12 May 2021 | Open Access

Novel vocalizations are understood across cultures
- Aleksandra Ćwiek
- , Susanne Fuchs
- & Marcus Perlman
Scientific Reports 11, 10108
Research
07 May 2021 | Open Access

Balanced imitation sustains song culture in zebra finches

Studying how songbirds learn songs can shed light on the development of human speech. An analysis of 160 tutor-pupil zebra finch pairs suggests that frequency dependent balanced imitation prevents the extinction of rare song elements and the overabundance of common ones, promoting song diversity within groups and species recognition across groups.
- Ofer Tchernichovski
- , Sophie Eisenberg-Edidin
- & Erich D. Jarvis
Nature Communications 12, 2562
Research | 31 March 2021

Innovative Homo sapiens behaviours 105,000 years ago in a wetter Kalahari

Human populations in the southern Africa interior were collecting non-utilitarian objects at around 105,000 years ago, suggesting that the development of this innovative behaviour did not depend on exploiting coastal resources.
- Jayne Wilkins
- , Benjamin J. Schoville
- & Amy Hatton
Nature 592, 248-252
Research
12 January 2021 | Open Access

Experimental evidence for scale-induced category convergence across populations

Category systems exhibit striking agreement across many cultures, yet paradoxically individuals exhibit large variation in the categorization of novel stimuli. Here the authors show that critical mass dynamics explain the convergence of independent populations on shared category systems.
- Douglas Guilbeault
- , Andrea Baronchelli
- & Damon Centola
Nature Communications 12, 327
Research
23 October 2020 | Open Access

SignBase, a collection of geometric signs on mobile objects in the Paleolithic
- Ewa Dutkiewicz
- , Gabriele Russo
- & Christian Bentz
Scientific Data 7, 364

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News and Comment

Research Highlights | 04 September 2018

You say tomato
- Abigail Klopper
Nature Physics 14, 872
Research Highlights | 09 August 2018

FOXP2 tells a cautionary tale

A study in Cell challenges the existing notion of the evolution of FOXP2 as a human-specific language gene.
- Rebecca Furlong
Nature Reviews Genetics 19, 592-593
Editorial | 23 March 2018

Language lessons

Language is a fundamental human characteristic. Its origins and development can inform our understanding of human ecology and evolution, and evolutionary biology methods can be fruitfully applied to linguistics in turn.

Nature Ecology & Evolution 2, 579
Research Highlights | 02 November 2017

Understanding language change
- Stavroula Kousta
Nature Human Behaviour 1, 779
Comments & Opinion | 31 July 2017

Towards an integrated science of language

It has long been assumed that grammar is a system of abstract rules, that the world's languages follow universal patterns, and that we are born with a ‘language instinct’. But an alternative paradigm that focuses on how we learn and use language is emerging, overturning these assumptions and many more.
- Morten H. Christiansen
- & Nick Chater
Nature Human Behaviour 1, 0163
Research Highlights | 18 February 2015

Phoneme–genome data set evolves
- Orli G. Bahcall
Nature Reviews Genetics 16, 128-129

All News & Comment

Evolution of language

Latest Research and Reviews

Triangulation supports agricultural spread of the Transeurasian languages

Novel vocalizations are understood across cultures

Balanced imitation sustains song culture in zebra finches

Innovative Homo sapiens behaviours 105,000 years ago in a wetter Kalahari

Experimental evidence for scale-induced category convergence across populations

SignBase, a collection of geometric signs on mobile objects in the Paleolithic

News and Comment

You say tomato

FOXP2 tells a cautionary tale

Language lessons

Understanding language change

Towards an integrated science of language

Phoneme–genome data set evolves

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