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原文連結
論文資訊
- 類型：已發表論文
- 日期：2012
摘要
語言 is a key 適應 of our 物種, yet we do not know when it evolved. Here, we use data on 語言 phonemic 多樣性 to estimate a minimum date for the origin of 語言. We take advantage of the fact that phonemic 多樣性 evolves slowly and use it as a clock to calculate how long the oldest African 語言s would have to have been around in order to accumulate the number of phonemes they possess today. We use a natural experiment, the colonization of Southeast Asia and Andaman Islands, to estimate the rate at which phonemic 多樣性 increases through time. Using this rate, we estimate that present-day 語言s date back to the Middle Stone Age in Africa. Our analysis is consistent with the archaeological evidence suggesting that complex human behavior evolved during the Middle Stone Age in Africa, and does not support the view th
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