How the English language has evolved like a living
creature
Some linguists think of language as a living thing: It grows and
changes, and every time a child learns it, the language reproduces
itself. Now, a team of researchers is using the analogy of
evolution to explain language change, arguing that key factors in
biological evolution—like natural selection and genetic drift—have
parallels in how languages change over time. And it turns out that
the random changes, known as “drift” in...