The study appeared in the journal Science. Quentin Atkinson says the method used to study the origins of the Indo-European language family could also be used with other language groups.
Last year, he published a report in Science exploring the earliest history of human language. He suggested that modern languages began in southwestern Africa. For that study, he borrowed an idea that comes not from evolutionary biologists but from scientists who study population genetics. They call it the "serial founder effect." It offers a scientific explanation for why there are fewer genetic differences in populations the farther away they live from Africa. Scientists say this decrease in diversity shows that modern humans originated on the continent.
Quentin Atkinson reported finding a similar effect in language. He based his study on the phonemes -- the basic speech sounds, like vowels and consonants -- in about five hundred different languages. He reported that languages in southwestern Africa had the most phonemes, while the numbers decreased with distance from the continent. Mr. Atkinson says his findings support the theory that modern humans expanded from Africa. Some other scientists, however, suggested that the results of his study were weak and failed to prove where language started.
Imagine you are walking down the street. As you pass a bakery, someone opens the door.
Ah…what a wonderful smell. Freshly baked bread, just out of the oven. You breathe deeply, letting that great smell fill your lungs. Life is good!
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