Study of 1,700 languages reveals surprising hidden patterns

An international research team led by Annemarie Verkerk (Saarland University) and Russell D. Gray (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology) analyzed 191 proposed universals using Grambank, the largest database of grammatical features ever assembled. Their dataset covered more than 1,700 languages.

In earlier research, linguists tried to avoid similarities between related or nearby languages by selecting samples from distant regions. While helpful, that approach does not fully eliminate hidden connections between languages. It can also weaken statistical results and fails to reveal how languages change over time.

To address this, the researchers used Bayesian spatio-phylogenetic analyses, which account for both shared ancestry and geographic influence. This approach offers a much higher level of statistical rigor than most previous studies.

Languages Do Not Evolve at Random

“In the face of huge linguistic diversity, it is intriguing to find that languages don’t evolve at random,” says Verkerk. “I am delighted that the different types of analyses we did converged on very similar results, suggesting that language change must be a central component in explaining universals.”

The findings show strong support for several recurring patterns. These include word order preferences, such as whether verbs come before or after objects, and hierarchical structures, such as how grammatical relationships are marked within sentences.

Importantly, these patterns have appeared repeatedly across unrelated languages in different parts of the world. This repetition suggests that there are deep constraints guiding how humans organize language.

Shared Pressures Shape Language Structure

Senior author Russell Gray reflected, “We discussed whether to write this up as a glass-half-empty paper — ‘look how many proposed universals don’t hold’ — or a glass-half-full paper — ‘there’s robust statistical support for about a third’. In the end, we chose to highlight the patterns that evolve repeatedly, showing that shared cognitive and communicative pressures push languages towards a limited set of preferred grammatical solutions.”

By identifying which universals truly stand up to rigorous testing, the study helps narrow the focus for future research. It points scientists toward the underlying cognitive and communicative forces that shape human language.