The ability to speak is one of the essential characteristics that distinguishes humans from other animals. Many people would probably intuitively equate speech and language. However, cognitive science ...

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Amanda Morris about how sign language evolves over time, the subject of her recent piece in The New York Times. In 2014, the Oxford English Dictionary, perhaps the most ...

Spoken languages are naturally developed complex systems that use a set of conventionalised sound-based symbols and grammatical rules. They are used to express an open-ended range of ideas, thoughts ...

Adam Schembri works for La Trobe University, and is a member of the Victorian Auslan Training Consortium. He receives funding from the Australian Research Council. Before we answer that question, it ...