2025/11/20 by Inbal Arnon, Liran Carmel, Nicolas Claidière +7 · 2 voices · 10 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior #Biological evolution #Categorization, perception, and language #Convergence (economics) #Cultural transmission in animals #Human language #Key (lock) #Language and cultural evolution #Language evolution #Sociocultural evolution
paper · open access · doi:10.1126/science.adq8303
published in Science 390(6775), eadq8303 (American Association for the Advancement of Science)
openalex created_date 2025/11/20 · openalex publication_date 2025/11/20 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Explaining the origins of language is a key challenge in understanding ourselves as a species. We present an empirical framework that draws on synergies across fields to facilitate robust studies of language evolution. The approach is multifaceted, seeing language emergence as dependent on the convergence of multiple capacities, each with their own evolutionary trajectories. It is explicitly biocultural, recognizing and incorporating the importance of both biological preparedness and cultural transmission as well as interactions between them. We demonstrate this approach through three case studies that examine the evolution of different facets involved in human language (vocal production learning, linguistic structure, and social underpinnings).