If solved
Language Origins Explained
A theory of how and when human language arose that makes predictions evidence can confirm or refute.
Open in the interactive tree →It would combine models of how signals become grammar, comparisons with other species and dated evidence for the needed abilities. A gap would remain between what can be modelled and what early humans actually spoke.
What it brings
- Knowing what makes human language special
- A principled test for language-like systems in animals and machines
- Better theories of how children and communities build grammar