An international team of linguists and biologists found that the birthplace of Indo-European languages is Anatolia . The work is published in the journal Science, a brief description leads The New York Times.
Studies led by biologist Quentin Atkinson from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. For the analysis of Indo-European languages, scientists have used methods developed for studying the evolution of species. The researchers analyzed the vocabulary 103 Indo-European languages, and data on their geographical distribution and historical development.
Scientists looked at the so-called cognates - cognates having a common origin and a similar sound in two or more languages. Cognates are words usually the least exposed to changes in the evolution of languages .Comparing the number of cognates in different languages, the researchers were able to estimate the extent of their relationship, likening thus cognates genes and differences cognates mutations.
