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What Does it Mean to be Alive? How Notions of the Natural World Unfold- in Development and Across Languages.
Understanding the concept of a “living thing” is a late developmental achievement. Early research by Jean Piaget, showed that kids attribute “life status” to things that move on their own (e.g. clouds or bikes) and
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Running Words Together: The science behind cross-cultural linguistics
While communication may be recognized as a universal phenomenon, distinctions—ranging from word-order to naming—undoubtedly remain as they help to define culture and develop language. Yet, little is understood about the similarities and differences in languages
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How Do I Hate Thee?
Long before pop culture turned “bitchin” into a synonym for cool, “bitch” was one of the more derogatory epithets you could hurl at a woman. Indeed, man’s best friend doesn’t fare well in the human
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Internationally adopted children shed light on how babies learn language
Each year, about 40,000 children are adopted across national lines, primarily by families from North America and Western Europe. These joyful occasions mark the growth of new families and also provide the framework for a
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A New Language Barrier: Why learning a new language may make you forget your old one.
Traveling abroad presents an ideal opportunity to master a foreign language. While the immersion process facilitates communication in a diverse world, people are often surprised to find they have difficulty returning to their native language.
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More Is Sometimes More
Most problems in our everyday lives can be solved in multiple ways. If we want to write, we can use a pencil or a pen or a computer. If we want to warm up we
