African origin of classifier-prefixed nouns in extra-African languages : New evidence for Ruhlen's monogenesis theory of human languages and further analysis of Mongoloid dispersion

• Main Authors: Ohnishi, Koji, 54566
• Language: English
• Published: 新潟大学理学部 1998
• Subjects: human languages; African origin; classifier-prefix; Bantu; Mongoloid languages; Mayan; Pacific; eskimo*
• Online Access: https://niigata-u.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/6890/files/13_55-75.pdf

Among African languages, noun classifier-prefix system is most typically and frequently found in Niger-Kordofanian language family, and less frequently in some groups of Afro-Asiatic family, but not found in Khoisan family. Search for extra-African evolutionary reflexes (cognates) of Niger-Kordofanian-type classifier-prefixed nouns was made by comparing African vocabularies with extra-African ones. Comparison was also made from the aspects of Ruhlen's theory (1992, 1994) on monophyletic African origin of living Homo sapiens sapiens languages. Reflexes of classifier-prefixed nouns were found not only in Afro-Asiatic, Indo-European and Austronesian, but also in other language families in Asia, New Guinea, Australia, and America. Well-conserved fossilized classifier prefixes are frequently found in Indo-European and Austronesian. Comparative analyses of these African classifier-prefixed nouns and their possible cognates revealed that most or all extra-African languages would have almost undoubtedly evolved from Niger-Kordofanian languages or the likes, providing us with strong evidence for Ruhlen's theory. In order to elucidate later history of extra-African human dispersion, macro-comparisons were also made for Eurasian and Pacific-rim languages from several different aspects. Eskimo and Japanese were found to be kin languages of Austronesian. Possible close relationship between Mayan and Tibeto-Burman was postulated. Evolutionary kinships among Quechuan, Uralic, Indo-European, and Austronesian were found in cognates of Quechuan words possessing word-initial ll-, and were discussed from the aspect of their possible Austronesian origin. departmental bulletin paper