Human language has long provided a crucible for new theories and methods in nearly all areas of cognitive
science. Fiery debates have arisen, and critical advances have been made through investigations into how best
to characterize relationships between form and function, the extent and implications of variation across
languages, and the cognitive and social prerequisites for language. New methodological advances continue to
inspire debates about how natural language is learned, produced, and understood and how these skills relate to
what it means to be human.
}, year = {2025}, journal = {Open Encylopedia of Cognitive Science}, edition = {1st}, month = {04/2025}, publisher = {MIT Press}, address = {Cambridge, Mass}, }