母語(yǔ)？可能是來(lái)源于你的父親
By Rob Waugh
作者：Rob Waugh
Last updated at 4:44 PM on 20th September 2011
2011年9月20日下午4：44
'Mother tongue' is not a coincidental phrase - people have long imagined that the close bond between mother and child meant that children acquire language from their mothers, not their fathers.
“母語(yǔ)”不是與字面一致的一個(gè)詞——很多人長(zhǎng)期假設(shè)：母子之間的親密紐帶，可能意味著孩子從母親而不是父親那里習(xí)得語(yǔ)言。
But a new study has found that the opposite may be true - and the reason is often down to violent invasion.
但是一項(xiàng)新研究發(fā)現(xiàn)反面可能是對(duì)的——原因常是暴力侵犯。
Throughout history it is men - from Viking invaders battling their way into new areas to pioneering farmers taking wives - who have made the biggest impact on the spoken word.
貫穿歷史的是男人——從北歐海盜斗爭(zhēng)開(kāi)辟新領(lǐng)域道路，到鼓勵(lì)農(nóng)民娶妻——對(duì)口頭語(yǔ)言有最大的影響。
Invaders such as Vikings (here impersonated at Shetland's Up Helly Aa festival) did not just spread destruction - they also spread language
像北歐海盜這樣的入侵者（這是扮演設(shè)得蘭群島的火祭節(jié)）不僅僅傳播破壞——他們也傳播語(yǔ)言。
Scientists investigated male and female genetic markers from several thousand communities to study patterns of prehistoric language transmission.
科學(xué)家研究了幾千團(tuán)體男性和女性基因標(biāo)記，研究史前語(yǔ)言傳播的模式。
They found that what language is spoken by a community largely depends on the arrival of men, whether through the migration of pioneering farmers or military invasion.
他們發(fā)現(xiàn)團(tuán)體中說(shuō)什么語(yǔ)言很大程度上依賴于男性的到來(lái)，不論是通過(guò)先驅(qū)農(nóng)民的移民或是軍事侵略。
More...Is this how Eve spoke? Every human language evolved from 'single prehistoric African mother tongue'
另外，這是夏娃是這樣說(shuō)的嗎？每一種語(yǔ)言從“單一的史前非洲母語(yǔ)”發(fā)展而來(lái)。
From Scandinavian Vikings pillaging British shores to African, Indian and Polynesian tribes, the same trend was seen around the world.
從斯堪的納維亞北歐海盜掠奪英國(guó)海岸到非洲、印度和波利尼西亞部落，全世界都能看到這種傾向。
'It may be that during colonisation episodes by emigrating agriculturists, men generally outnumber women in the pioneering groups and take wives from the local community,' said Professor Colin Renfrew, from Cambridge University.
“可能是移民農(nóng)業(yè)家的殖民地時(shí)代，在先驅(qū)群體中男人通常多女人多，從本地部落中娶妻，”劍橋大學(xué)的教授 科林·倫弗魯（ Colin Renfrew）說(shuō)道。
'When the parents have different linguistic backgrounds, it may often be the language of the father which is dominant within the family group.'
“當(dāng)父母有不同的語(yǔ)言背景時(shí)，在一個(gè)家族群體中，父親一方的語(yǔ)言占支配地位。”
Prof Renfrew and Cambridge colleague Dr Peter Forster reported their findings in the journal Science. They pointed out that historically men have been more likely to father children with several different mothers than vice versa - and this helps their native tongues to spread.
倫弗魯教授以及劍橋大學(xué)的博士皮特·佛斯特（Peter Forster ）在科學(xué)期刊上發(fā)表了他們的發(fā)現(xiàn)。他們指出，歷史上男人的孩子更可能有好幾個(gè)不同的母親，而反之一個(gè)孩子可能沒(méi)有那么多父親——這能幫助傳播他們本地語(yǔ)言。
Bonded by blood: But historically, babies have always been more likely to end up speaking the language their father speaks, says a new study
血緣紐帶：但是歷史上，嬰兒更可能終止了他們父親所說(shuō)的語(yǔ)言，一項(xiàng)新的研究表示。
The Mongol warlord Genghis Khan is famously believed to have fathered hundreds of children in the lands he conquered. His offspring would have been more likely to speak his language than their mothers' - not because Genghis stayed behind to nurture them, but because an occupying force would have spread his language behind him.
蒙古王成吉思汗據(jù)信在他征服之處有數(shù)百個(gè)孩子。他的后代更可能說(shuō)他的語(yǔ)言而不是他們母親的——并不是因?yàn)槌杉己沽粝铝损B(yǎng)育他們，只是因?yàn)橐环N占領(lǐng)性的力量在他身后傳播他的語(yǔ)言。
One of the most striking examples of the pattern was evident in New Guinea, said the scientists. In prehistoric times, colonising Polynesians encountered resident Melanesians in New Guinea and the neighbouring Admiralty islands. Today, the New Guinea coast contains pockets of Polynesian-speaking regions separated by areas where Melanesian is spoken.
模式最突出的一個(gè)例子之一在新幾內(nèi)亞很明顯，科學(xué)家說(shuō)。在史前時(shí)代，殖民玻利尼西亞人新幾內(nèi)亞遇到了定居的美拉尼西亞人，毗鄰阿德米勒爾蒂群島?，F(xiàn)在，新幾內(nèi)亞海岸線包括了玻利尼西亞的口袋處——說(shuō)話區(qū)域被美拉尼西亞語(yǔ)地區(qū)所分隔。
Levels of mitochondrial DNA - a female genetic marker only carried down the female line - is similar all along the coast, regardless of language. But levels of the male Y chromosome strongly correlate with the presence of Polynesian languages. Similar findings have emerged in the Indian sub-continent and the Americas.
不管語(yǔ)言，沿海岸線的線粒體DNA的層級(jí)——一個(gè)女性基因標(biāo)記只攜帶了女性線鏈——是相似的。但是男性Y染色體的層級(jí)和波利尼西亞的語(yǔ)言存在一一對(duì)應(yīng)。印度次大陸和美洲也出現(xiàn)了類似的發(fā)現(xiàn)。
Dr Forster said: 'Whether in European, Indian, Chinese or other languages, the expression 'mother tongue' and its concept is firmly embedded in popular imagination - perhaps this is the reason why for so many years the role of fathers, or more likely, specific groups of successful males, in determining prehistoric language switches has not been recognised by geneticists.'
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