Human children have an unparalleled capacity to acquire sophisticated speech and language skills. Despite the huge complexity of the task, most children learn their native languages almost effortlessly, and do not need formal teaching to achieve a rich linguistic repertoire. It has long been suspected that the answers to this enigma lie buried in our genetic makeup. The Language & Genetics department at the MPI takes advantage of cutting edge molecular technologies to discover how the human genome helps to build a language-ready brain. We aim to uncover the DNA variations which ultimately affect different facets of our communicative abilities, not only in children with language-related disorders but also in the general population, and even through to people with exceptional linguistic skills. Crucially our work attempts to bridge the gaps between genes, brains, speech and language, by integrating molecular findings with data from other levels of analysis, including cell biology, experimental psychology and neuroimaging. In addition, we hope to trace the evolutionary history and worldwide diversity of key genes, which may shed new light on language origins.

The Language and Genetics department is led by Simon E. Fisher, co-discoverer of FOXP2, the first gene to be implicated in a speech and language disorder. Simon's laboratory at Oxford University, UK has pioneered the use of genes as molecular windows into the neural basis of speech and language, a research strategy which will be continued and expanded in the new Nijmegen department.

More information about our work can be found on the Language and Genetics Project page.

This is a rapidly expanding department. Please see the MPI jobs page for specific areas and levels at which we are recruiting. See also the link "Joining us" at the left side of this page.