新西兰一名研究人员发表报告称，人类语言可能与人类一样，起源于非洲且年代相同。
奥克兰大学生物学博士昆廷·阿特金森以一种文明年代越久远、其语言音素越多的理论为基础，借助世界语言结构图集，分析全球504种语言。
4月14日出版的《科学》杂志刊登阿特金森的这份研究报告。他发现，一些非洲语言音素超过100个，而夏威夷当地土语音素仅13个。英语、法语和德语的音素均在45个左右。
阿特金森随后与其他研究人员用一种概率统计法，依照人类脱氧核糖核酸（DNA）序列，重新绘制印欧语系语言发展图谱，发现印欧语系大约一万年前开始分化扩散，远早于一些历史语言学家推测的年代。
依照这一发现，阿特金森推断人类语言可能全部起源于非洲，时间大约在15万年前洞穴艺术开始阶段。早期人类大约8万年前走出非洲，带走部分音素。
阿特金森说：“人类语言为单一起源，不是独立产生。”一种语言音素数量关联人类扩散至那一地区的时间：年代越早，音素越多。
“我们认为，语言是文明进步的跳板，有助于人们协调与合作……同时可能引起竞争，推动人类发展。”（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原文出处：
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1199295
Phonemic Diversity Supports a Serial Founder Effect Model of Language Expansion from Africa
Quentin D. Atkinson1,2,*
Human genetic and phenotypic diversity declines with distance from Africa, as predicted by a serial founder effect in which successive population bottlenecks during range expansion progressively reduce diversity, underpinning support for an African origin of modern humans. Recent work suggests that a similar founder effect may operate on human culture and language. Here I show that the number of phonemes used in a global sample of 504 languages is also clinal and fits a serial founder–effect model of expansion from an inferred origin in Africa. This result, which is not explained by more recent demographic history, local language diversity, or statistical non-independence within language families, points to parallel mechanisms shaping genetic and linguistic diversity and supports an African origin of modern human languages.
