“How does language evolve?”
Language evolves over time and the process is driven by a variety of factors, including the needs and uses within a particular society, the influence of other languages, and the changing cultural, social, and technological context in which it is used.
One way in which language evolves is through the creation of new words and phrases to describe new concepts, objects, or ideas. This can occur through the process of neologism, in which new words are created by combining existing words or by borrowing words from other languages.
Language can also evolve through the process of language change, in which the sounds, grammar, and vocabulary of a language shift over time. This can occur as a result of changes in the way the language is used, such as the influence of other languages or dialects, or as a result of changes in the cultural and social context in which the language is spoken.
Learn more about this with our series “Evolution of Language”
How do languages evolve? From the origins of language to bilingualism, this series journeys into the mysteries of this uniquely human trait and the power it has to change our world.
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Dr John Gallagher
Travel, mobility, and migration were instrumental in making Early modern England a multilingual landscape. But when did the English start speaking English and, how confident were early speakers in the scope of this fast-evolving language?
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Professor Simon Kirby
Language sets humankind apart from other species. Even our closest primate relatives haven't developed the same ability to acquire & use language. Why are humans the only species with language and how did language evolve?
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Prof. Shannon Murray
The modern world is increasingly polarised; we see things in black and white. How can Shakespeare teach us to hold two conflicting ideas in our heads simultaneously?
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Antonella Sorace
More than half the world speaks two or more languages fluently. And yet being bilingual is a label often reserved for native speakers who learn multiple languages as children. Can you both 'be' and 'become' bilingual?
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Professor Simon Kirby
What makes human speech miraculous is the fact that no other creature in history that we know of has evolved the skill. The origin of language is evolution’s greatest mystery, but how did language begin?
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Dr Diane Nelson
It's thought there are more than 7,000 languages spoken across the world. Although this number seems vast, every month one of the world's languages disappears forever. How and why so many languages are dying?
Professor Simon Kirby
If a Martian linguist were to study the languages of the world, what would they conclude about how many we had? What forces shape our language?
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