History of Languages

The evolution of languages, also known as language history, is the reconstruction of the evolution, divergence, and development of languages over time using glottochronology, comparative linguistics, written records, and other historical linguistics methodologies. Language origins are a contentious issue, with some languages tentatively dating back to the Paleolithic. Archaeological and written documents, on the other hand, expand the history of language into antiquity and the Neolithic. Language distribution has shifted dramatically over time. In ancient, post-classical, and early modern times, major regional languages such as Elamite, Sogdian, Koine Greek, or Nahuatl were supplanted by others due to shifting power dynamics, conflict, and migration. The relative importance of languages has shifted as well, as evidenced by the relative drop in significance of French and German. Language origins are a contentious issue, with some languages tentatively dating back to the Paleolithic. Archaeological and written documents, on the other hand, expand the history of language into antiquity and the Neolithic period. Language distribution has shifted dramatically over time.