Language trees with sampled ancestors support a hybrid model for the origin of Indo-European languages
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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; 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.
In: Science, Vol. 381, No. 6656, 28.07.2023.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Language trees with sampled ancestors support a hybrid model for the origin of Indo-European languages
AU - Heggarty, Paul
AU - Anderson, Cormac
AU - Scarborough, Matthew
AU - King, Benedict
AU - Bouckaert, Remco
AU - Jocz, Lechosław
AU - Kümmel, Martin Joachim
AU - Jügel, Thomas
AU - Irslinger, Britta
AU - Pooth, Roland
AU - Liljegren, Henrik
AU - Strand, Richard
AU - Haig, Geoffrey
AU - Macák, Martin
AU - Kim, Ronald I.
AU - Anonby, Erik
AU - Pronk, Tijmen
AU - Belyaev, Oleg
AU - Dewey-Findell, Tonya Kim
AU - Boutilier, Matthew
AU - Freiberg, Cassandra
AU - Tegethoff, Robert
AU - Serangeli, Matilde
AU - Liosis, Nikos
AU - Stroński, Krzysztof
AU - Schulte, Kim
AU - Gupta, Ganesh Kumar
AU - Haak, Wolfgang
AU - Krause, Johannes
AU - Atkinson, Quentin D.
AU - Greenhill, Simon J.
AU - Kühnert, Denise
AU - Gray, Russell D.
PY - 2023/7/28
Y1 - 2023/7/28
N2 - 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 c. 9000 BP, while others support a spread with horse-based pastoralism out of the Pontic-Caspian Steppe c. 6000 BP. Here we present an extensive new database of Indo-European core vocabulary that eliminates past inconsistencies in cognate coding. Ancestry-enabled phylogenetic analysis of our new dataset indicates that few ancient languages are direct ancestors of modern clades, and produces a root age for the family of c. 8120 BP. While 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 northwards 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.
AB - 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 c. 9000 BP, while others support a spread with horse-based pastoralism out of the Pontic-Caspian Steppe c. 6000 BP. Here we present an extensive new database of Indo-European core vocabulary that eliminates past inconsistencies in cognate coding. Ancestry-enabled phylogenetic analysis of our new dataset indicates that few ancient languages are direct ancestors of modern clades, and produces a root age for the family of c. 8120 BP. While 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 northwards 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.
U2 - 10.1126/science.abg0818
DO - 10.1126/science.abg0818
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 37499002
VL - 381
JO - Science
JF - Science
SN - 0036-8075
IS - 6656
ER -
ID: 353643496