Study links language differences to migration route of early humans
(NEWSER) - The thousands of languages spoken in the world today can be traced back to a "mother tongue of mother tongues" that arose in Africa around 50,000 years ago, a new study suggests. The lead researcher, evolutionary psychologist Quentin Atkinson, borrowed a few ideas from genetic researchers, the Wall Street Journal notes. He found that, much like genetic diversity, the number of distinct sounds in a language decreases the further away from Africa populations had to travel in the early days of humanity. More»
