Humans’ gift for charades helps explain the origin of language
How did humans create the earliest words? Iconic vocal sounds, which match form and meaning, likely played a key role
by Marcus Perlman
Marcus Perlman is a lecturer in English language and linguistics at the University of Birmingham in the UK. His research examines iconicity in speech and gesture, with special interest in the evolution of human communication. He also studies the gesturing and vocal behaviour of great apes.
Written by Marcus Perlman