An Institute for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution at the University of Zurich
On January 1, 2025, the University of Zurich (UZH) created a new institute, the Institute for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE). Its mission is to deepen interdisciplinary research in the field of language evolution. The ISLE also serves as the host institution of the NCCR Evolving Language, an SNSF-funded consortium of over 40 research groups across the social, natural and computational sciences. Together with partner host institutions in Geneva and Neuchâtel, ISLE will be the foundation for research after the current funding of the NCCR.

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A new interdisciplinary institute for the UZH
A few years ago, the UZH funded a competence centre to promote interdisciplinary research on language evolution. Its success led to the funding of the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Evolving Language. To sustain this new research field in the long run, the competence centre merged with the Department of Comparative Language Science to form the new Institute for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE). Now formally established, the ISLE Institute unites a network of around 100 researchers from various faculties.
The institute pioneers an interdisciplinary approach to studying language evolution. “Humans have the most complex communication system in the world with many different varieties, tightly interwoven with cultural evolution,” states the Head of Institute Sabine Stoll. “To understand how it evolved and how it will continue to evolve in the future, we need to understand its different features and how they develop. For this a multidisciplinary approach is key.” In this new institute, many different disciplines from social, natural and computational sciences collaborate towards a greater goal, namely understanding how language evolved and will evolve in the future.
A modern way to study language
For Sabine Stoll, a transdisciplinary approach is essential for studying complex topics like language evolution. “This approach is both new and unique globally,” she explains. “Nowhere else is language evolution approached as we do here.” This approach encourages collaboration in specialized fields, such as linguistics, animal communication, genetics, mathematics or computer science, to name just a few, leveraging their joint expertise.
Despite the challenges of such a radically new approach, she views working in such an interdisciplinary environment as the ISLE as a unique opportunity for researchers to transcend their own fields and explore new horizons. “It’s a chance to apply methods typically used in other disciplines to one’s own research, with guidance from experts already familiar with those approaches. This allows for true innovation and progress,” she adds.
To bring these different fields together and foster collaboration the institute hosts a weekly colloquium inviting international experts of the various disciplines and providing a fertile ground for new perspectives. The colloquium is directed by Carel Van Schaik and Sabine Stoll.
A step into the future
After the end of SNSF funding period in 2032, the research program of the NCCR Evolving Language will be continued by the ISLE Institute. The goal is to establish a National Institute for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution with regional branches at the University of Geneva and the University of Neuchatel. “We want to change the landscape of research in regard to how we study language,” says Sabine Stoll. “The institutionalisation of the ISLE Institute at UZH is the first step towards this.”
The ISLE Institute will also be the host of a new master’s program: the specialized Master’s in Evolutionary Language Science, which will be offered to students from the Fall Semester of 2025. “It will be a Master of Science program, integrating key disciplines for studying language evolution through a modern lens,” adds Stoll. The goal of the master’s program is to foster a new generation of researchers ready to follow the lead of the NCCR’s mission, exploring the key feature of humanity using a multidisciplinary approach.