Questions tagged [proto-world]
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1
vote
2answers
206 views
Could the proto-human language still play a role in the interlingual communication?
I've read several studies about sound symbolism and I'm still not sure whether I got an insight into the topic. I know that today's view of most of the linguists is skeptical towards sound symbolism ...
2
votes
2answers
1k views
Is there any language which doesn't have “hello”, “thank you” or “please”? [closed]
If so, is there seen some relation (origin in the Proto-Human language), or did these phrases arose independently?
1
vote
0answers
833 views
Is Austronesian the closest relative to PIE?
Austronesian is usually regarded as a separate family, not related to any other. It is never groupped into Eurasiatic or Nostratic. Yet it seems to me that it may be related to PIE. I wonder whether ...
45
votes
4answers
9k views
Why do most words for “mother”, across languages, start with an [m], and for “father” with [p]/[b], but not vice versa?
It has been observed that in general, a word for "mother" tends to be based on a bilabial nasal [m] or similar consonant, and for father it tends to be [b] or [p]. This is found in many language ...
29
votes
4answers
3k views
Do the Khoisan languages resemble the world's first language?
I have read somewhere that if there ever was a world's first language*, that language must have had very much in common** with the Khoisan languages. Arguments in support of this hypothesis are:
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