Most people around the world agree that the made-up word 'bouba' sounds round in shape, and the made-up word 'kiki' sounds pointy—a discovery that may help to explain how spoken languages develop, according to a new study.
Social Sciences
Nov 16, 2021
1
241
The origin and early dispersal of Transeurasian languages, including, among others, Japanese, Korean, Tungusic, Mongolic and Turkic, is among the most disputed issues of Asian prehistory. Although many of the commonalities ...
Archaeology
Nov 10, 2021
0
190
When listening closely, the melodies of human languages and animal vocalizations are very similar. However, it is not yet fully resolved if similar patterns in languages and animal vocalizations also have similar meanings. ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 5, 2021
0
216
New research led by the University of St Andrews reveals bonobo chimpanzee gestures change meaning according to the specific context in which they are used, in the same way humans communicate.
Plants & Animals
Oct 28, 2021
0
107
Scientists have shown that orangutan call signals believed to be closest to the precursors to human language, travel through forest over long distances without losing their meaning. This throws into question the accepted ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 28, 2021
2
1737
No language has words for all the blues of a wind-churned sea or the greens and golds of a wildflower meadow in late summer. Globally, different languages have divvied up the world of color using their own set of labels, ...
Social Sciences
Sep 23, 2021
1
240
Whistling while you work isn't just a distraction for some people. More than 80 cultures employ a whistled form of their native language to communicate over long distances. A multidisciplinary team of scientists believe that ...
Other
Sep 21, 2021
0
1276
The diversity of human languages can be likened to branches on a tree. If you're reading this in English, you're on a branch that traces back to a common ancestor with Scots, which traces back to a more distant ancestor that ...
Social Sciences
Sep 10, 2021
3
1939
Human babies are not the only babblers, said a study published Thursday, some bats are also very talkative in their infancy and even make sounds that recall the googoo-gagas of our own tots.
Plants & Animals
Aug 19, 2021
0
527
Humans have been always on the move, creating a complex history of languages and cultural traditions dispersed over the globe. An international team under UZH's lead has now traced families of related languages over more ...
Social Sciences
Aug 18, 2021
0
292
