As a defining hallmark of our species, human language is a Complex Adaptive System. Regarding this system, my research concerns: the origins and evolution of language, the unique ways in which biology and culture interact during language learning, and the roles of language and literacy related skills on reading behavior. My research questions include: how human cognitive capacity enables us to process language structures, how socio-cultural constraints influence the dynamics of language change, and how individual difference in reading skills interact with lexical properties during online reading. My research approaches include: computational modeling, language learning experiments, and eye-tracking reading experiments.