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Language acquisition

as an explanation regarding the strange language isolation when it comes to Hungarian, Estonian and Finnish languages (Davidson 28-29). Sometimes the change doesn't necessarilly result in creation of new language. It may also occur in development of existing grammar and increase in vocabulary. Sometimes it ensues in local dialects, that are still a part of larger language, though, in some cases, contain immense dissimilarities with it (World Book Encyclopedia 64). Other reasons for language change might have been initial migration, climate, and elite dominance. The initial migration is really a name for movement of people from Africa 100,000 years ago. Surviving traces of this migration include Basque, Caucasian, Khosian, ans Australian languages. Climate, too, is a possible cause of language dispersal. Global warming several thousand years ago opened regions north of 54th parallel to pioneers whose languages developed into the families known as Ural-Yukaghir, Chukchi-Kamchatkan, Eskimo-Aleut, and Na-Dene. All the differences and similarities have prompted linguists to create so-called language families. Language families are groups of languages that appear to have common characteristics. Linguists decide which language should belong to which group by comparing the words with the same meaning in different languages and by comparing the grammar and phonetic features. Word mother in Latin is mater; in German mutter; in Swedish moeder; in Bosnian majka/mati. When linguists compared these words they realized that there was a common ancestor of these languages--Indo-European language. They have found semblances between other world's languagesas well. By doing that have created a dozen different language families. Some of the major ones, besides Indo-European group, are Indo-Chinese, Hamito-Semitic, and Ural-Altaic (Davidson 30-31). Going back to beginning, linguists wonder what were the first words. According to Guinness' Book of Records, th...

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