Science makes an open book of English evolution

"The United States of America" has become entrenched as one of the most frequently printed phrases in the modern era of written English, a study of 500 years of language evolution has shown.

Researchers link wild chimpanzee gestures to language evolution

(Phys.org) -- A Stirling researcher has identified between 20 and 30 manual gestures used by a community of wild chimpanzees, used to communicate with others in a range of activities including nursing, feeding, sex, aggression ...

Pacific people spread from Taiwan

New research into language evolution suggests most Pacific populations originated in Taiwan around 5,200 years ago.

Cringing at how teens talk? Surprise: Language changes

When USC established El Centro Chicano in 1972 as a resource center for Mexican American students, organizers deliberately chose the word "Chicano" as a point of pride. The term was born out of student protests in the late ...

Parents experience FOMO on Internet speak

If you tell your mum she's fleek, she probably won't get the compliment—social media is driving a rapid evolution of the English language that is leaving parents baffled, a study suggested Friday.

The origins of laughter

We know the benefits of laughter on health. But why do we laugh? What are the evolutionary origins of laughter and humour? Steven Légaré has asked these questions and has made them the subject of his master's thesis, which ...

page 3 from 4