What enables human language? A biocultural framework
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).
Authors
- Limor Raviv (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0716-3553)
- Kazuo Okanoya (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7439-9566)
- Liran Carmel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0225-8550)
- W. Tecumseh Fitch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1830-0928)
- Susan Goldin‐Meadow (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8536-2673)
- Nicolas Claidière (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4472-6597)
- Simon Kirby (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6496-1340)
- Lucie Wolters (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-7346-9037)
- Simon E. Fisher (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3132-1996)
- Inbal Arnon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8934-718X)
Institutions
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- University of Vienna (AT)
- Radboud University Nijmegen (NL)
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem (IL)
- Aix-Marseille Université (FR)
- University of Chicago (US)
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics (NL)
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive (FR)
- Teikyo University (JP)
- University of Edinburgh (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science
- Published
- 2025-11-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adq8303
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Language and cultural evolution
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 16.49
Funders
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
- Israel Institute for Advanced Studies