A rare universal pattern in human languages
A rare universal pattern in human languages
- September 4, 2019
- Richard Futrell, language science, The Atlantic, Sept. 4, 2019
-----
“One of the big divisions in the field of linguistics right now is whether it’s useful to think about language as a code for communication or whether it’s more useful to think about language as something like a mathematical language,” says Richard Futrell, an assistant language-science professor at UC Irvine. This controversy is often described as a fight over whether linguistic universals exist ….
For the full story, please visit https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/09/people-speak-faster-less-efficient-languages/597391/.
-----
Would you like to get more involved with the social sciences? Email us at communications@socsci.uci.edu to connect.
Related News Items
- Careet RightBirdsong follows a fundamental law of human language
- Careet RightWhen did ancient humans start talking?
- Careet RightWhy human language differs from computer code
- Careet RightScientists reveal why human language isn't like computer code
- Careet RightWhat's in a name? Information structure parallels discovered across cultures--with repercussions for Asian names