Humans are the only species known to use fully symbolic language: a system capable of expressing abstract ideas, imaginary worlds and endless combinations of meaning. But how did we get there? The ...

Effective learning isn't just about finding the easiest path—it's about the right kind of challenge. Two prominent theories—Desirable Difficulties (DDF) and Cognitive Load Theory (CLT)—offer valuable ...

Children acquire hundreds of words in their second year of life 1. How children learn so much in so little time remains a central question in language development research. ‘Word learning’ here refers ...

For centuries, adults may have relied on pedagogies that promote rote memory for the learning of foreign languages through word associations and grammar rules. This contrasts sharply with child ...

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American Noam Chomsky’s political views attract so ...

There is a storm brewing for modern language education in the UK. The uptake in higher education has more than halved in the past 15 years. And in the same period, ten modern language university ...