Changes in genetics and language follow similar patterns as human population disperse, however language is able to spontaneously change in isolated populations.
Both genetics and language change over time as small mutations in genes or phonemes, like the ‘k’ sound in ‘cat’ or ‘skill’, accumulate or are lost. Additionally both language and genetics change by interbreeding or borrowing phonemes from nearby populations.
However, in isolated populations, language is more likely to change, while inbreeding causes genetic diversity in the same groups to decline.
Original research paper published in PNAS on January 19, 2015.
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