Overview
- Linguist Ljiljana Progovac published the proposal in PNAS Nexus, advancing a testable account of language shaped by sexual selection.
- She centers on verb–noun compounds like killjoy and pickpocket, which fuse a verb and a noun into a single punchy label that may echo early grammar.
- Brain imaging in the report found these compounds triggered stronger visceral responses than longer paraphrases such as joy killer or pocket picker.
- The theory holds that people skilled at witty wordplay gained reproductive advantages, creating a feedback loop that pushed grammar to grow more complex.
- The paper positions this “survival of the wittiest” view as an alternative or complement to friendliness-based accounts, and coverage notes it remains preliminary and needs broader cross‑linguistic data and replication.