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Bats add their voice to the FOXP2 story
September 19, 2007When it comes to the FOXP2 gene, humans have had most to shout about. Discoveries that mutations in this gene lead to speech defects and that the gene underwent changes around the time language evolved both implicate FOXP2 in the evolution of human language. More recently, patterns of gene expression in birds, humans and rodents have suggested a wider role in the production of vocalisations. Yet numerous reports have established that FOXP2 shows very little genetic variation across even distantly related vertebrates - from reptiles to mammals - providing few extra clues as to the gene's role.
A new study, undertaken by a joint of team of British and Chinese scientists, has found that this gene shows unparalleled variation in echolocating bats. The results, appearing in a study published in the online, open-access journal PLoS ONE on September 19, report that FOXP2 sequence differences among bat lineages correspond well to contrasting forms of echolocation.
Public Library of Science
Language Current Events and Language News RSSNovel K-anonimity algorithm safeguards access to data
As electronic health records become more widely deployed, increasing amounts of health information are being collected. This data has many beneficial applications, such as research, public health, and health system planning.
Emulating Western lifestyles: Consumption and carbon footprints in less industrialized countries
In recent decades, a new global middle class has exploded, with a total population exceeding one billion people. A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research explores the consumption attitudes of some of these members of the "new class."
Why can't chimps speak?
If humans are genetically related to chimps, why did our brains develop the innate ability for language and speech while theirs did not?
IACC includes vaccine research objective in strategic plan for autism research
Autism Speaks is encouraged by yesterday's decision of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) to include vaccine research studies in the objectives of the updated Strategic Plan for Autism Research.
Rutgers Computer Scientists Work to Strengthen Online Security
If you forget your password when logging into an e-mail or online shopping Web site, the site will likely ask you a security question: What is your mother's maiden name? Where were you born?
Language support is important for children with autism
Teachers and parents must be vigilant in observing difficulties with language comprehension, reading and spelling in children and young people with autism, Asperger's syndrome and ADHD.
Mount Sinai finds those with more difficult to treat forms of HCV are half as likely to get treated
A new study by Mount Sinai researchers has for the first time found that patients with more difficult to treat forms of hepatitis C are half as likely to initiate treatment for the disease, when compared to patients with hepatitis C that is easier to treat.
Babies with an accent
In the first days of their lives, French infants already cry in a different way to German babies.
Scientists visualize how bacteria talk to one another
Using imaging mass spectrometry, researchers at the University of California, San Diego have developed tools that will enable scientists to visualize how different cell populations of cells communicate.
TV bombards children with commercials for high-fat and high-sugar foods
Childhood obesity in the United States is reaching epidemic proportions. With more than one fourth of advertising on daytime and prime time television devoted to foods and beverages and continuing questions about the role television plays in obesity.
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The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language (P.S.) by Steven Pinker (Author) In this classic, the world's expert on language and mind lucidly explains everything you always wanted to know about language: how it works, how children learn it, how it changes, how the brain computes it, and how it evolved. With deft use of examples of humor and wordplay, Steven Pinker weaves our vast knowledge of language into a compelling story: language is a human instinct, wired into our brains by evolution. The Language Instinct received the William James Book Prize from the American Psychological Association and the Public Interest Award from the Linguistics Society of America. This edition includes an update on advances in the science of language since The Language Instinct was first published. |
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The Unfolding of Language: An Evolutionary Tour of Mankind's Greatest Invention by Guy Deutscher (Author) Blending the spirit of Eats, Shoots & Leaves with the science of The Language Instinct, an original inquiry into the development of that most essential-and mysterious-of human creations: Language Language is mankind's greatest invention-except, of course, that it was never invented." So begins linguist Guy Deutscher's enthralling investigation into the genesis and evolution of language. If we started off with rudimentary utterances on the level of "man throw spear," how did we end up with sophisticated grammars, enormous vocabularies, and intricately nuanced degrees of meaning? Drawing on recent groundbreaking discoveries in modern linguistics, Deutscher exposes the elusive forces of creation at work in human communication, giving us fresh insight into how language emerges,... |
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Learn to Speak Spanish Deluxe by Individual Software Learn to Speak is the #1 leading brand of Immersion Learning. The Flexible Immersion System places you into real-world scenarios where you interact with native speakers to learn more quickly. No other brand offers more personalization or tailors your learning objectives to your specific needs. You’ll learn exactly what you need for travel, business, or school, right when you need it. |
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The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language by John Mcwhorter (Author) There are approximately six thousand languages on Earth today, each a descendant of the tongue first spoken by Homo sapiens some 150,000 years ago.While laying out how languages mix and mutate over time, linguistics professor John McWhorter reminds us of the variety within the species that speaks them, and argues that, contrary to popular perception, language is not immutable and hidebound, but a living, dynamic entity that adapts itself to an ever-changing human environment. Full of humor and imaginative insight, The Power of Babel draws its illustrative examples from languages around the world, including pidgins, Creoles, and nonstandard dialects. |
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Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World by Nicholas Ostler (Author) Nicholas Ostler's Empires of the Word is the first history of the world's great tongues, gloriously celebrating the wonder of words that binds communities together and makes possible both the living of a common history and the telling of it. From the uncanny resilience of Chinese through twenty centuries of invasions to the engaging self-regard of Greek and to the struggles that gave birth to the languages of modern Europe, these epic achievements and more are brilliantly explored, as are the fascinating failures of once "universal" languages. A splendid, authoritative, and remarkable work, it demonstrates how the language history of the world eloquently reveals the real character of our planet's diverse peoples and prepares us for a linguistic future full of surprises. |
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Instant Immersion 102 Languages by Topics Entertainment Ideal for travel or beginning study, each of the six CD-ROMs is devoted to several global languages, exploring essential vocabulary and phrases in subjects ranging from food to fundamental expressions. Multi-language learning from Arabic to Zulu! |
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Language: Its Structure and Use by Edward Finegan (Author) LANGUAGE: ITS STRUCTURE AND USE explains core concepts in an interactive style that you can understand no matter what your major. With features like "What Do You Think?" and "Try It Yourself," you'll understand what you're experiencing on campus and in the classroom from a linguistics perspective. The expanded study sections and the available workbook provide you with the tools you'll need for effective test prep. |
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The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature by Steven Pinker (Author) This New York Times bestseller is an exciting and fearless investigation of language Bestselling author Steven Pinker possesses that rare combination of scientific aptitude and verbal eloquence that enables him to provide lucid explanations of deep and powerful ideas. His previous books—including the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Blank Slate—have catapulted him into the limelight as one of today’s most important popular science writers. In The Stuff of Thought, Pinker presents a fascinating look at how our words explain our nature. Considering scientific questions with examples from everyday life, The Stuff of Thought is a brilliantly crafted and highly readable work that will appeal to fans of everything from The Selfish Gene and Blink to Eats, Shoots &... |
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Instant Immersion 33 Languages by Topics Entertainment 33 CD-ROM set: With the step-by-step instruction in 33 native tongues making up Instant Immersion 33 Languages, your only dilemma is deciding which language you want to speak first! Join your live-action CD-ROM hosts as they guide you effortlessly through the 33 Talk Now! discs, each devoted to its own language. Follow along at your own pace to the animated Word Practice and Speaking Practice warm-ups, building vocabulary in subjects from Salutations to Shopping. Then, exercise your newfound linguistic skills with a variety of games and activities including"The Dealer" and his fast-paced drills at increasing difficulty levels. Pick any dialect from Instant Immersion 33 Languages, then get ready to Talk Now! * The ultimate in multi-language learning from Arabic to Zulu! |
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How To Learn Any Language: Quickly, Easily, Inexpensively, Enjoyably and on Your Own by Barry Farber (Author) Barry Farber has been a true adventurer in languages for forty-six years and can speak in 25 tongues. The techniques he presents here will have readers speaking, reading, and writing and enjoying any foreign language in a surprisingly short time. |
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