When we use language, it seems so easy to understand what other people are saying that it is hard to appreciate the complexity of the act of carrying on a conversation. Obviously, we miscommunicate at ...

Cognitive scientists develop a new take on an old problem: Why human language has so many words with multiple meanings. Cognitive scientists develop a new take on an old problem: why human language ...

If you’re one of the 2.4 million Twitter followers of the Hamilton impresario Lin-Manuel Miranda, you’ve come to expect a delightful stream of observations, including tweets capturing conversations ...

In my opinion, ambiguity can indeed lead to misunderstandings. When communication is unclear or open to multiple interpretations, it increases the chances of misinterpreting the intended meaning or ...

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American Sensory information flowing into our brains ...

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Why did language evolve? While the answer might seem obvious — as a way for individuals to exchange information — linguists and other students of communication have debated this ...