A few millennia ago, people worldwide may have spoken or signed up to 10 times as many languages as they do today.

A Taiwan–led study of Mandarin-speaking learners shows that the sounds we hear and produce are deeply shaped by our prior ...

Learning another language is one of the deepest and most human things one can possibly do, writes Douglas Hofstadter.

Language is more than just spoken and written words. It’s the lens through which we see the world. Language is a beautifully intricate system that allows us to express our thoughts, emotions and ...

When cultural preservation comes at the expense of speakers’ decisions, sometimes it's O.K. to let a language die.

Researchers at OIST gave a virtual robot curiosity, and it learned language twice as fast, playful detours and toddler ...

Today, people speak or sign around 7,500 languages. Yet this figure provides only a snapshot of a constantly changing history. How many languages existed before written records? Did agriculture reduce ...

When it comes to communication, words get it done. Words can sell, excite, inflame, prompt sacrifice, mend hearts, and that’s not even the beginning. People remember leaders for their words. The right ...

Our mastery of language presents many mysteries, not least where grammar comes from and how children learn to speak so effortlessly. Now researchers argue that it all makes sense if you think of ...

Humans are the only species known to use fully symbolic language: a system capable of expressing abstract ideas, imaginary worlds and endless combinations of meaning. But how did we get there? The ...

Learning another language may increase your earning potential. Many colleges offer faster credentials in a foreign language through online study. Advances in technology have led to a wider range of ...