More Rule than Exception: Parallel Evidence of Ancient Migrations in Grammars and Genomes of Finno-Ugric Speakers
To reconstruct aspects of human demographic history, linguistics and genetics complement each other, reciprocally suggesting testable hypotheses on population relationships and interactions. Relying on a linguistic comparative method based on syntactic data, here we focus on the non-straightforward...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Genes |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/11/12/1491 |
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| author | Patrícia Santos Gloria Gonzàlez-Fortes Emiliano Trucchi Andrea Ceolin Guido Cordoni Cristina Guardiano Giuseppe Longobardi Guido Barbujani |
| author_facet | Patrícia Santos Gloria Gonzàlez-Fortes Emiliano Trucchi Andrea Ceolin Guido Cordoni Cristina Guardiano Giuseppe Longobardi Guido Barbujani |
| author_sort | Patrícia Santos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | To reconstruct aspects of human demographic history, linguistics and genetics complement each other, reciprocally suggesting testable hypotheses on population relationships and interactions. Relying on a linguistic comparative method based on syntactic data, here we focus on the non-straightforward relation of genes and languages among Finno-Ugric (FU) speakers, in comparison to their Indo-European (IE) and Altaic (AL) neighbors. Syntactic analysis, in agreement with the indications of more traditional linguistic levels, supports at least three distinct clusters, corresponding to these three Eurasian families; yet, the outliers of the FU group show linguistic convergence with their geographical neighbors. By analyzing genome-wide data in both ancient and contemporary populations, we uncovered remarkably matching patterns, with north-western FU speakers linguistically and genetically closer in parallel degrees to their IE-speaking neighbors, and eastern FU speakers to AL speakers. Therefore, our analysis indicates that plausible cross-family linguistic interference effects were accompanied, and possibly caused, by recognizable demographic processes. In particular, based on the comparison of modern and ancient genomes, our study identified the Pontic-Caspian steppes as the possible origin of the demographic processes that led to the expansion of FU languages into Europe. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T14:09:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a7ce437c92b541509811b07afdec66a2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T14:09:03Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Genes |
| spelling | doaj.art-a7ce437c92b541509811b07afdec66a22023-11-21T00:21:22ZengMDPI AGGenes2073-44252020-12-011112149110.3390/genes11121491More Rule than Exception: Parallel Evidence of Ancient Migrations in Grammars and Genomes of Finno-Ugric SpeakersPatrícia Santos0Gloria Gonzàlez-Fortes1Emiliano Trucchi2Andrea Ceolin3Guido Cordoni4Cristina Guardiano5Giuseppe Longobardi6Guido Barbujani7CNRS, UMR 5199—PACEA, Université de Bordeaux, Bâtiment B8, Allée Geoffroy Saint Hilaire, 33615 Pessac, FranceDipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biotecnologie, Università di Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, ItalyDepartment of Life and Environmental Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University, 60131 Ancona, ItalyDipartimento di Comunicazione ed Economia, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, 42121 Reggio Emilia, ItalySchool of Veterinary Medicine, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7AL, UKDipartimento di Comunicazione ed Economia, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, 42121 Reggio Emilia, ItalyDepartment of Language and Linguistic Science, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UKDipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biotecnologie, Università di Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, ItalyTo reconstruct aspects of human demographic history, linguistics and genetics complement each other, reciprocally suggesting testable hypotheses on population relationships and interactions. Relying on a linguistic comparative method based on syntactic data, here we focus on the non-straightforward relation of genes and languages among Finno-Ugric (FU) speakers, in comparison to their Indo-European (IE) and Altaic (AL) neighbors. Syntactic analysis, in agreement with the indications of more traditional linguistic levels, supports at least three distinct clusters, corresponding to these three Eurasian families; yet, the outliers of the FU group show linguistic convergence with their geographical neighbors. By analyzing genome-wide data in both ancient and contemporary populations, we uncovered remarkably matching patterns, with north-western FU speakers linguistically and genetically closer in parallel degrees to their IE-speaking neighbors, and eastern FU speakers to AL speakers. Therefore, our analysis indicates that plausible cross-family linguistic interference effects were accompanied, and possibly caused, by recognizable demographic processes. In particular, based on the comparison of modern and ancient genomes, our study identified the Pontic-Caspian steppes as the possible origin of the demographic processes that led to the expansion of FU languages into Europe.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/11/12/1491genomessyntaxgenetic and linguistic distanceshuman migrationsphylogenies |
| spellingShingle | Patrícia Santos Gloria Gonzàlez-Fortes Emiliano Trucchi Andrea Ceolin Guido Cordoni Cristina Guardiano Giuseppe Longobardi Guido Barbujani More Rule than Exception: Parallel Evidence of Ancient Migrations in Grammars and Genomes of Finno-Ugric Speakers Genes genomes syntax genetic and linguistic distances human migrations phylogenies |
| title | More Rule than Exception: Parallel Evidence of Ancient Migrations in Grammars and Genomes of Finno-Ugric Speakers |
| title_full | More Rule than Exception: Parallel Evidence of Ancient Migrations in Grammars and Genomes of Finno-Ugric Speakers |
| title_fullStr | More Rule than Exception: Parallel Evidence of Ancient Migrations in Grammars and Genomes of Finno-Ugric Speakers |
| title_full_unstemmed | More Rule than Exception: Parallel Evidence of Ancient Migrations in Grammars and Genomes of Finno-Ugric Speakers |
| title_short | More Rule than Exception: Parallel Evidence of Ancient Migrations in Grammars and Genomes of Finno-Ugric Speakers |
| title_sort | more rule than exception parallel evidence of ancient migrations in grammars and genomes of finno ugric speakers |
| topic | genomes syntax genetic and linguistic distances human migrations phylogenies |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/11/12/1491 |
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