Are all human languages the same? - Talk with Prof. Simon Kirby

Language is always changing, evolving, and adapting to the needs of its users.

If a Martian linguist were to study the languages of the world, what would they conclude about how many we had? Surprisingly, influential human linguists have radically different answers to this question! Some say that all human languages are essentially the same except for minor details. Others say that they are all so different that there are no universal features that unite them.

Simon Kirby is a Professor of Language Evolution at the University of Edinburgh and the Founder of the Centre for Language Evolution there, which takes an interdisciplinary approach to studying language emergence & evolution.

In his Garden talk Simon reveals a fascinating story about the forces that shape language, and ultimately, the very nature of the human mind.

[melvynhunt]

This approach to language properties is something I've been struggling to find over all my adult life. Really fascinating and extremely well presented, I think. I must try to find out more about your work. I can't understand why there are so few comments below, though.

[idiosyncraticmushroom]

Knew it was going to be an ood watch when I saw the eurorack in the background.

[RFC]

"There are exceptions, but we call that universal" - Well, that's _literally_ a crime.

[joseantoniovergara]

how interesting! This hypothesis is much better than Chomsky's