Language and cultural evolution

Level 4· openalex· T12090· 2,920 works indexed upstreamcanonical tree

This cluster of papers explores the evolutionary dynamics of cultural evolution, with a focus on language development, social learning strategies, phylogenetics, and the impact of culture on human adaptation. It delves into topics such as cumulative culture, semantic change, linguistic diversity, and the grounding of symbols in language. The papers also discuss the role of cultural evolution in shaping human intelligence and behavior.

Works in this branch

by citations
Culture and the Evolutionary Process
Ornithological Applications·1986·3 authors·other
7,034citations
The Cultural Origins of Human Cognition
Harvard University Press eBooks·2000·1 author·book·Open access
6,367citations
Not by Genes Alone: How Culture Transformed Human Evolution
ETC.: A Review of General Semantics·2006·1 author·other
3,553citations
Origins of Human Communication
The MIT Press eBooks·2008·1 author·book
3,284citations
The Role of Institutionalization in Cultural Persistence
American Sociological Review·1977·1 author
3,083citations
Not By Genes Alone
University of Chicago Press eBooks·2004·2 authors·book
2,793citations
Natural language and natural selection
Behavioral and Brain Sciences·1990·2 authors
2,474citations
The Ecology of Language Evolution
Cambridge University Press eBooks·2001·1 author·book
2,437citations
2,434citations
Coevolution of neocortical size, group size and language in humans
Behavioral and Brain Sciences·1993·1 author
2,369citations
Origins of human communication
Choice Reviews Online·2009·other
2,230citations
Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of Language
Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences·1996·1 author·other
2,213citations
Explaining Culture: A Naturalistic Approach.
Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute·1998·2 authors
1,812citations
Cultural Transmission and Evolution: A quantitative approach
Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization·1985·1 author
1,691citations
Language and Species
University of Chicago Press eBooks·1990·1 author·book
1,632citations
1,605citations
1,603citations
1,561citations
1,511citations
The faculty of language: what's special about it?
Cognition·2005·2 authors·Open access
1,425citations
Cultural Recycling of Cortical Maps
Neuron·2007·2 authors·review·Open access
1,348citations
The cultural niche: Why social learning is essential for human adaptation
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·2011·3 authors·Open access
1,302citations
The Symbolic Species: The Co-Evolution of Language and the Brain
Modern Language Journal·1998·2 authors·other
1,299citations
The Origin of Speech
Scientific American·1960·1 author
1,288citations
Coevolution: genes, culture, and human diversity
Choice Reviews Online·1992·other
1,248citations
The language bioprogram hypothesis
Behavioral and Brain Sciences·1984·1 author
1,246citations
1,232citations