Language trees with sampled ancestors support a hybrid model for the origin of Indo-European languages.
Heggarty Paul, Anderson Cormac, Scarborough Matthew, King Benedict, Bouckaert Remco, Jocz Lechosław, Kümmel Martin Joachim, Jügel Thomas, Irslinger Britta, Pooth Roland, Liljegren Henrik, Strand Richard F, Haig Geoffrey, Macák Martin, Kim Ronald I, Anonby Erik, Pronk Tijmen, Belyaev Oleg, Dewey-Findell Tonya Kim, Boutilier Matthew, Freiberg Cassandra, Tegethoff Robert, Serangeli Matilde, Liosis Nikos, Stroński Krzysztof, Schulte Kim, Gupta Ganesh Kumar, Haak Wolfgang, Krause Johannes, Atkinson Quentin D, Greenhill Simon J, Kühnert Denise, Gray Russell D
Science (New York, N.Y.) · 2023 · PMID 37499002 · 인용 133
The origins of the Indo-European language family are hotly disputed. Bayesian phylogenetic analyses of core vocabulary have produced conflicting results, with some supporting a farming expansion out of Anatolia ~9000 years before present (yr B.P.), while others support a spread with horse-based pastoralism out of the Pontic-Caspian Steppe ~6000 yr B.P. Here we present an extensive database of Indo-European core vocabulary that eliminates past inconsistencies in cognate coding.
Ancestry-enabled phylogenetic analysis of this dataset indicates that few ancient languages are direct ancestors of modern clades and produces a root age of ~8120 yr B.P. for the family. Although this date is not consistent with the Steppe hypothesis, it does not rule out an initial homeland south of the Caucasus, with a subsequent branch northward onto the steppe and then across Europe. We reconcile this hybrid hypothesis with recently published ancient DNA evidence from the steppe and the northern Fertile Crescent.