Speaking of Forked Tongues: The Feasibility of Reconciling Human Phylogeny and the History of Language [and Comments]

We address the problem of reconciling human phylogeny and linguistic history and conclude that its resolution requires (i) development of a valid objective method of quantifying linguistic relationships, (2) delimitation and subsequent characterisation of human populations and languages by large-scale demographic census, (3) integration of genetic and linguistic data with other types of information, (4) parallel analyses of the relationships between genetic and linguistic entities using specifically phylogenetic algorithms, and (5) clarification of the biological and philosophical relationship between human lineages and potentially dependent cultural phenomena such as speech. Also, increased discourse between linguists and biologists is needed to distinguish omologous from analogous processes in the two disciplines and thereby standardise terms and concepts. Even if these criteria re eventually satisfied, different processes and rates of evolution and radiation in human populations and languages will continue to complicate attempts to recover "racial" phylogenies. Although profound, these difficulties may not be insuperable, particularly if initial studies sample a regional rather than a global catchment.

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