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

New research suggests wild chimpanzees have developed a far more nuanced communication system than previously realized, using several mechanisms that combine their vocalizations to create new meaning.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. We know animals have their ...

Using artificial intelligence (AI), scientists have unraveled the intricate brain activity that unfolds during everyday ...

More than 7,000 languages are spoken around the world, but the human brain becomes highly specialized to process speech in an individual’s own language. Recordings from human brains reveal the shared ...

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 ...

Scientists have discovered that the human brain understands spoken language in a way that closely resembles how advanced AI language models work. By tracking brain activity as people listened to a ...

All human languages follow the same pattern: The most common word is used twice as often as the second most common word, three times as often as the third most common word, four times as often as the ...

A new study reveals that whale song and human languages share features that make them easier to learn. Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are known for their complex songs. New research suggests ...