a blog post on Paleolithic Continuity Theory
http://assistantvillageidiot.blogspot.com/2008/11/paleolithic-continuity-theory.html
if anyone is interested...
I only have one comment, which is also brought up in the one comment to this blog; that is, some languages do not change much over time but others do change at a faster rate - the example of modern Icelandic/Old Norse (little change) vs the other modern Scandinavian languages (Swedish, Danish, Norwegian and their dialects) which have are no longer mutually intelligible (as modern Icelandic and Old Norse still are). So the fact that Iceland is so geographically isolated seems be play an obvious role in this, but is that the only factor? and what factors do the PCT theorists put forth as reasons why languange would not have changed over those 10,000 years (what was at play or not at play that kept them the same - or what is at play that causes languages in more recent history (e.g. Old English -> Modern English) to evolve more rapidly?
I wonder if there is a correlation between rate of language evolution and human population increase?
if anyone is interested...
I only have one comment, which is also brought up in the one comment to this blog; that is, some languages do not change much over time but others do change at a faster rate - the example of modern Icelandic/Old Norse (little change) vs the other modern Scandinavian languages (Swedish, Danish, Norwegian and their dialects) which have are no longer mutually intelligible (as modern Icelandic and Old Norse still are). So the fact that Iceland is so geographically isolated seems be play an obvious role in this, but is that the only factor? and what factors do the PCT theorists put forth as reasons why languange would not have changed over those 10,000 years (what was at play or not at play that kept them the same - or what is at play that causes languages in more recent history (e.g. Old English -> Modern English) to evolve more rapidly?
I wonder if there is a correlation between rate of language evolution and human population increase?