New research is helping scientists around the world understand what drives language change, especially when languages are in their infancy. The results will shed light on how the limitations of the ...

Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global. By Laura Spinney. Bloomsbury; 352 pages; $29.99. William Collins; £22 Dante did like a category. Famously, he split sinners into different circles in Hell.

Source: kp yamu Jayanath/Pixabay As with all languages, English is in a constant state of flux. New terminology, slang expressions, and catchphrases are continually broadening vocabularies and ...