“Our research shows that humans choose to reshape language when the structure is either overly redundant or confusing”, says T. Florian Jaeger, the Wilmot Assistant Professor of the Sciences at Rochester and co-author of a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Oct. 15. “This study suggests that we prefer languages that on average convey information efficiently, striking a balance between effort and clarity.”

Language is shaped by brain’s desire for clarity and ease