Tag: language
Bonobo Calls Are More like Human Language Than We Thought
Bonobos’ Complex Calls Share an Extraordinary Trait with Human Language Bonobos’ grunts, peeps and whistles may share an advanced linguistic property with human language By Cody Cottier edited by Allison Parshall We humans concoct never-before-heard sentences with ease, embedding phrases within phrases to express the wildest ideas we can dream up (“the purple pangolin that…
Kanzi the Bonobo, Who Learned Language and Made Stone Tools, Dies at Age 44
Kanzi the Bonobo, Who Learned Language and Made Stone Tools, Dies at Age 44 What we learned about ape and human cognition from Kanzi the bonobo, who died this week By Kate Wong edited by Jeanna Bryner Kanzi the bonobo died on March 18, 2025, at the age of 44. Kanzi the bonobo, who learned…
Trump signs executive order making English the official language of the U.S.
Elena Moore President Trump has signed an executive order designating English as the official language of the U.S., the first such designation in the country’s history. The order, which Trump signed on Saturday, rescinds a policy issued by former President Bill Clinton requiring agencies to provide assistance programs for people with limited English proficiency, according…
China berates US for changing state department language on Taiwan
US state department last week removed line from fact sheet saying ‘We do not support Taiwan independence’ China has called on the United States to “correct its mistakes” after a statement that Washington does not support an independent Taiwan was removed from the state department website. Beijing views Taiwan as part of its territory and…
Whale Songs Follow Basic Human Language Rules
Whale Songs Obey Basic Rules of Human Languages Humpback whales learn their haunting melodies in much the same way humans learn words By Cody Cottier edited by Andrea Thompson John Natoli/Getty Images For all the world’s linguistic diversity, human languages still obey some universal patterns. These run even deeper than grammar and syntax; they’re rooted…
Linguists Point to Expressions of Pain as a Possible Universal Language
The Ways We Express Pain Point to Universality in Language By Rachel Feltman, Allison Parshall & Fonda Mwangi Rachel Feltman: If you stubbed your toe right now, what sound would you make? According to linguists, the chances are pretty good that your answer would be surprisingly similar to the one given by someone on the…