Limor Raviv 🐘🤗🦒🍄🦄
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limorraviv.bsky.social
Limor Raviv 🐘🤗🦒🍄🦄
@limorraviv.bsky.social
Group leader LEADS MPI_NL & Radboud ➡️ Language Evolution; Cultural Evolution; Animal & Human Cognition; Open Science; DON'T DREAM IT - BE IT!
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Interested in the evolution of human language? Check out our new paper in @science.org where we synthesize latest findings and outline a multifaceted, bio-cultural approach for studying how language evolved. Super proud of this work, and hoping it leads to exciting new research! tinyurl.com/ykacvanp
Reposted by Limor Raviv 🐘🤗🦒🍄🦄
Sign language research provides some key data supporting this framework for language evolution
Origins of language, one of humanity’s most distinctive traits, may be best explained as a unique convergence of multiple capacities each with its own evolutionary history, involving intertwined roles of biology & culture. This framing can expand research horizons. A 🧵 on our @science.org paper.🧪1/n
What enables human language? A biocultural framework
Explaining the origins of language is a key challenge in understanding ourselves as a species. We present an empirical framework that draws on synergies across fields to facilitate robust studies of l...
www.science.org
November 23, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Reposted by Limor Raviv 🐘🤗🦒🍄🦄
Fascinating thread and review, questioning the 'big bang' view of the emergence of language.
Origins of language, one of humanity’s most distinctive traits, may be best explained as a unique convergence of multiple capacities each with its own evolutionary history, involving intertwined roles of biology & culture. This framing can expand research horizons. A 🧵 on our @science.org paper.🧪1/n
What enables human language? A biocultural framework
Explaining the origins of language is a key challenge in understanding ourselves as a species. We present an empirical framework that draws on synergies across fields to facilitate robust studies of l...
www.science.org
November 24, 2025 at 8:10 AM
Reposted by Limor Raviv 🐘🤗🦒🍄🦄
Thank you for this very insightful explainer thread about (y)our latest @science.org paper, @profsimonfisher.bsky.social - must read for everyone in linguistics!
Origins of language, one of humanity’s most distinctive traits, may be best explained as a unique convergence of multiple capacities each with its own evolutionary history, involving intertwined roles of biology & culture. This framing can expand research horizons. A 🧵 on our @science.org paper.🧪1/n
What enables human language? A biocultural framework
Explaining the origins of language is a key challenge in understanding ourselves as a species. We present an empirical framework that draws on synergies across fields to facilitate robust studies of l...
www.science.org
November 24, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Reposted by Limor Raviv 🐘🤗🦒🍄🦄
Happy World #Linguistics Day everyone! If you're interested in #language and its evolution, these two threads are a good place to start!
bsky.app/profile/symb...
Origins of language, one of humanity’s most distinctive traits, may be best explained as a unique convergence of multiple capacities each with its own evolutionary history, involving intertwined roles of biology & culture. This framing can expand research horizons. A 🧵 on our @science.org paper.🧪1/n
What enables human language? A biocultural framework
Explaining the origins of language is a key challenge in understanding ourselves as a species. We present an empirical framework that draws on synergies across fields to facilitate robust studies of l...
www.science.org
November 26, 2025 at 8:36 AM
Reposted by Limor Raviv 🐘🤗🦒🍄🦄
Looking forward to future projects with this crew! Was a joy to work on this admittedly difficult paper! Very proud of the final product. Have a look!
Interesting re-reading & re-appraisal of a classic paper on the design features of specific cognitive systems like human language, by @symbolicstorage.bsky.social @mperlman.bsky.social @glupyan.bsky.social K de Reus & @limorraviv.bsky.social
@cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social 🧪
Super proud of this fabulous team for challenging old comparative frameworks and rethinking what makes language language.
Read more in the thread below 👇 or here 📖😊: www.cell.com/trends/cogni...
November 26, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Reposted by Limor Raviv 🐘🤗🦒🍄🦄
The ‘design features’ of language revisited. Just published (open access) by Pleyer, Perlman, Lupyan, de Reus & @limorraviv.bsky.social. doi.org/10.1016/j.ti...
Redirecting
doi.org
November 26, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Reposted by Limor Raviv 🐘🤗🦒🍄🦄
Interesting re-reading & re-appraisal of a classic paper on the design features of specific cognitive systems like human language, by @symbolicstorage.bsky.social @mperlman.bsky.social @glupyan.bsky.social K de Reus & @limorraviv.bsky.social
@cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social 🧪
Super proud of this fabulous team for challenging old comparative frameworks and rethinking what makes language language.
Read more in the thread below 👇 or here 📖😊: www.cell.com/trends/cogni...
November 26, 2025 at 6:10 AM
Reposted by Limor Raviv 🐘🤗🦒🍄🦄
We hope this paper leads to renewed discussions and can provide a roadmap for future research comparing human language and non-human animal communication and for the study of language evolution.
Full paper here: doi.org/10.1016/j.ti...
Press release: www.mpi.nl/news/65-year...
65-year-old framework challenged by modern research | Max Planck Institute
www.mpi.nl
November 25, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Super proud of this fabulous team for challenging old comparative frameworks and rethinking what makes language language.
Read more in the thread below 👇 or here 📖😊: www.cell.com/trends/cogni...
November 25, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Reposted by Limor Raviv 🐘🤗🦒🍄🦄
🚨NEW PUBLICATION ALERT!🚨
The 'Design Features' of Language Revisited (w/ @mperlman.bsky.social @glupyan.bsky.social Koen de Reus & @limorraviv.bsky.social)
Feature Review out now in #OpenAccess in @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social! #language #linguistics
Paper: doi.org/10.1016/j.ti...
November 25, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Reposted by Limor Raviv 🐘🤗🦒🍄🦄
Despite their allure, “silver bullet” arguments (in which uniqueness of our species is defined by one explanatory factor) are untenable in light of modern biology. Many scholars now view language emergence as dependent on convergence of multiple facets (physical, cognitive, social, cultural). 4/n
November 23, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Reposted by Limor Raviv 🐘🤗🦒🍄🦄
Origins of language, one of humanity’s most distinctive traits, may be best explained as a unique convergence of multiple capacities each with its own evolutionary history, involving intertwined roles of biology & culture. This framing can expand research horizons. A 🧵 on our @science.org paper.🧪1/n
What enables human language? A biocultural framework
Explaining the origins of language is a key challenge in understanding ourselves as a species. We present an empirical framework that draws on synergies across fields to facilitate robust studies of l...
www.science.org
November 23, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Reposted by Limor Raviv 🐘🤗🦒🍄🦄
Review on language evolution just published - haven't read properly yet but from a quick skim looks important!
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
November 20, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Reposted by Limor Raviv 🐘🤗🦒🍄🦄
New paper argues language emerged from the interaction of biology and culture - not a single mutation. Vocal learning, grammar, and social sharing each evolved on their own but converged to make human language possible. www.mpi.nl/news/interac...
The interaction of biology and culture: Rethinking where language comes from | Max Planck Institute
www.mpi.nl
November 21, 2025 at 9:42 AM
Interested in the evolution of human language? Check out our new paper in @science.org where we synthesize latest findings and outline a multifaceted, bio-cultural approach for studying how language evolved. Super proud of this work, and hoping it leads to exciting new research! tinyurl.com/ykacvanp
November 21, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Reposted by Limor Raviv 🐘🤗🦒🍄🦄
The amazing Bart de Boer is organizing a workshop at @evolangconf.bsky.social for exchanging techniques and ideas on how to use AI productively and correctly in language evolution research. Submissions are now open. Please spread the word! ai.vub.ac.be/~bart/AI_in_...
ai.vub.ac.be
November 16, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Reposted by Limor Raviv 🐘🤗🦒🍄🦄
For decades, linguists assumed kids drive language change through ‘imperfect’ learning. New research by Raviv, Blasi & Kempe (Psychological Review) show that instead, adolescents and young adults are more likely to spread, normalize, and cement linguistic shifts. www.mpi.nl/news/young-c...
September 9, 2025 at 10:45 AM
September 9, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Reposted by Limor Raviv 🐘🤗🦒🍄🦄
💡 The idea that children drive language change is widely accepted — but does it hold up?

New research co-authored by Dr Vera Kempe challenges this view, showing little evidence that child-led innovations spread through communities.

Read more: www.mpi.nl/publications...
September 9, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Super proud of this work and very grateful for all the amazing people who provided valuable feedback along the way @remivantrijp.bsky.social @sheinalew.bsky.social @cedricboeckx.bsky.social @inbalarnon.bsky.social ❤️❤️❤️🙏
September 9, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Reposted by Limor Raviv 🐘🤗🦒🍄🦄
The de-neonatizing of linguistics takes another step forward
September 9, 2025 at 7:48 AM
Reposted by Limor Raviv 🐘🤗🦒🍄🦄
So rewarding to work with these two brilliant people to check whether the existing evidence supports the persistent claim that children's simplifying errors drive language change. It doesn't. psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?d...
@limorraviv.bsky.social @damianblasi.bsky.social
September 9, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Reposted by Limor Raviv 🐘🤗🦒🍄🦄
September 9, 2025 at 7:42 AM