The cognitive science of language diversity: achievements and challenges

Linguistics needs to embrace all the way down a key feature of language: its diversity. In this paper, we build on recent experimental findings and theoretical discussions about the neuroscience and the cognitive science of linguistic variation, but also on proposals by theoretical biology, to advan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCognitive processing Vol. 26; no. 3; pp. 719 - 736
Main Author Benítez-Burraco, Antonio
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.08.2025
Subjects
Artificial Intelligence
Behavioral Sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Brain - physiology
Cognition - physiology
Cognitive Science
Humans
Language
Language Development
Linguistics
Neurosciences
Opinion Papers and Commentaries
Non-WEIRD societies/subjects
Sociolinguistic diversity
Language typology
Multifunctionality of language
Developmental paths to language
Neurodiversity
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Summary:Linguistics needs to embrace all the way down a key feature of language: its diversity. In this paper, we build on recent experimental findings and theoretical discussions about the neuroscience and the cognitive science of linguistic variation, but also on proposals by theoretical biology, to advance some future directions for a more solid neurocognitive approach to language diversity. We argue that the cognitive foundations and the neuroscience of human language will be better understood if we pursue a unitary explanation of four key dimensions of linguistic variation: the different functions performed by language, the diversity of sociolinguistic phenomena, the typological differences between human languages, and the diverse developmental paths to language. Succeeding in the cognitive and neurobiological examination and explanation of these four dimensions will not only result in a more comprehensive understanding of how our brain processes language, but also of how language evolved and the core properties of human language(s).
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ISSN:1612-4782
1612-4790
1612-4790
DOI:10.1007/s10339-025-01262-z