Sound doesn’t fossilize. Language doesn’t either. Even when writing systems have developed, they’ve represented full-fledged and functional languages. Rather than preserving the first baby steps ...

Linguists can mix, match or even break the rules of real-world languages to create interesting imaginary ones.

It’s well known that JRR Tolkien wrote the Lord of the Rings cycle to create people to speak the languages he had invented. But, in the television age, artificially created or invented languages – we ...

Why is it so easy to hear individual words in your native language, but in a foreign language they run together in one long stream of sound? Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest sci-tech news ...

BOT or NOT? This special series explores the evolving relationship between humans and machines, examining the ways that robots, artificial intelligence and automation are impacting our work and lives.