Renfrew, C. (2000). At the edge of knowability: towards a prehistory of languages. Cambridge Archaeol J 10 (1). Vol 10(1), pp. 7-34.
 Title The title of the publication or report |
At the edge of knowability: towards a prehistory of languages | |||||
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Issue The name of the volume or issue |
Cambridge Archaeol J 10 (1) | |||||
Series The series the publication or report is included in |
Cambridge Archaeological Journal | |||||
Volume Volume number and part |
10 (1) | |||||
Page Start/End The start and end page numbers. |
7 - 34 | |||||
Biblio Note This is a Bibliographic record only. |
Please note that this is a bibliographic record only, as originally entered into the BIAB database. The ADS have no files for download, and unfortunately cannot advise further on where to access hard copy or digital versions. | |||||
Publication Type The type of publication - report, monograph, journal article or chapter from a book |
Journal | |||||
Abstract The abstract describing the content of the publication or report |
The issue of `knowability' in relation to the origins and distribution of the language families of the world is addressed, and recent advances in historical linguistics and molecular genetics reviewed. Despite the much-debated problem of the validity of the concept of the language `macrofamily' remaining unresolved, it is argued that a time depth for the origins of language families greater than the conventional received figure of c. 6000 years may in some cases be appropriate. This may allow the possibility of a correlation between language dispersals and demographic processes following the end of the Pleistocene. The effects of these processes may still be visible in the linguistic `spread zones', here seen as often the result of farming dispersals, contrasting with linguistic `mosaic zones' whose early origins may sometimes go back to initial colonisation episodes during the Late Pleistocene. If further work in historical linguistics as well as in archaeology and molecular genetics upholds these correlations a `new synthesis', whose outlines may already be discerned, is likely to emerge. It is thought this would have important consequences for prehistoric archaeology, and would be of interest also to historical linguists and molecular geneticists. If, however, the proposed recognition of such patterning proves illusory the prospects for `knowability' appear to be less favourable. | |||||
Year of Publication The year the book, article or report was published |
2000 | |||||
Locations Any locations covered by the publication or report. This is not the place the book or report was published. |
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Source Where the record has come from or which dataset it was orginally included in. |
BIAB
(The British & Irish Archaeological Bibliography (BIAB))
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Created Date The date the record of the pubication was first entered |
20 Jan 2002 |
