Writing is technology. Like the mating displays of birds-of-paradise and the pheromone trails of ants, it is a form of communication. However, unlike communication systems governed by genetic ...

Phoenician. Greek. Latin. You might not think you know any of these languages. But in fact, you kind of do. Because the letters of the English language evolved directly out of all of these written ...

A new linguistic study sheds light on the nature of languages spoken before the written period, using computational modeling to reconstruct the grammar of the 6500-7000 year-old Proto-Indo-European ...

The written word has always been a core instrument for humans to share knowledge and express their ideas, emotions, and thoughts. From cave paintings and hieroglyphics to pens, typewriters, and ...

The Oxford comma. “Ask” instead of “aks.” There, their, and they’re. The legitimacy of “ain’t” and “y’all.” These are familiar, if sometimes contentious, issues in the usage of the English language.

Example of recurrent change. Still images from video dictionary entries that illustrate the phonological pattern of thumb extension. Both signs are produced with four fingers extended, but the sign ...

We argue that language evolution started like the evolution of reading and writing, through cultural evolutionary processes. Genuinely new behavioural patterns emerged from collective exploratory ...

India, with its rich history, diverse culture, and complexity, is home to a multitude of languages that have evolved over millennia. These languages not only reflect the evolution of communication but ...