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Elizabeth Qing Zhang

@elizabethqingzhang.bsky.social

42 followers 129 following 0 posts

Language evolution

Posts Replies Media

Reposted by Elizabeth Qing Zhang

Michael Pleyer @symbolicstorage.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

I did an interview with the NCU Toruń Excellence Initiative Podcast on #language acquisition, language evolution, cognition and all interesting things #linguistics! I had a lot of fun and I only had a few "oh no why did I say that?" Moments listening to it! open.spotify.com/episode/6WoM...

The podcast thumbnail with a picture of me

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Reposted by Elizabeth Qing Zhang

Michael Pleyer @symbolicstorage.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Very happy that this is now officially out in the International Encyclopedia of #Language and #Linguistics! "Animal Cognition and Language Evolution" (with @elizabethqingzhang.bsky.social). doi.org/10.1016/B978...

The title page

Key Points
• The evolution of human language is underpinned by domain-general cognitive mechanisms shared broadly across species.
• Category learning and statistical learning, essential to human linguistic abilities, are also demonstrated widely in
nonhuman animals.
• Comparative research on memory, particularly long-term and working memory, suggests critical evolutionary continuities
and distinctions relevant to language evolution.
• Investigating animal cognition beyond communication systems provides essential insights into the evolutionary founda-
tion of the human language-ready brain.
Abstract
Animal cognition has important implications for the study of language evolution. Language is supported by domain-general
cognitive mechanisms such as category learning, statistical learning, memory, and relational reasoning. These foundational
cognitive abilities predate language and are found across diverse species, indicating evolutionary continuity. Evidence from
nonhuman animals shows analogous cognitive and neural mechanisms supporting these abilities, reinforcing their role in
language readiness. Comparative psychology highlights the evolutionary continuity of these shared cognitive capacities
which underlie language in humans.

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Reposted by Elizabeth Qing Zhang

Michael Pleyer @symbolicstorage.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

🚨 New Publication Alert!🚨 Polysemy and metaphorical extension in an artificial language learning experiment (w/ @elizabethqingzhang.bsky.social & Marek Placiński). Out now in #OpenAcess in Language and Cognition. 🧵1/ #language #linguistics doi.org/10.1017/lang...

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Reposted by Elizabeth Qing Zhang

Michael Pleyer @symbolicstorage.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

🚨NEW PUBLICATION ALERT🚨 "Artifacts, Analogy, and Metaphor: Towards an Interdisciplinary Framework for Studying the Evolution of Analogy" out now in Cognitive Science (w/ Svetlana Kuleshova, @elizabethqingzhang.bsky.social, L. De Weyer & E. Boëda) doi.org/10.1111/cogs... #language #linguistics 🧵⬇️ 1/

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Reposted by Elizabeth Qing Zhang

Michael Pleyer @symbolicstorage.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

🚨NEW PUBLICATION ALERT!🚨 The 'Design Features' of Language Revisited (w/ @mperlman.bsky.social @glupyan.bsky.social Koen de Reus & @limorraviv.bsky.social) Feature Review out now in #OpenAccess in @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social! #language #linguistics Paper: doi.org/10.1016/j.ti...

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