Murray Gell-Mann: The ancestor of language

The video explores the distant relationships among human languages, focusing on the work of linguists who study long-distance language groupings. It speculates on the origins of modern language, suggesting it predates ancient art forms like cave paintings. The discussion includes the possibility of a single language ancestor and the concept of a linguistic bottleneck. The video concludes with acknowledgments to Murray Gell-Mann.

What is the general attitude of Western linguists towards long-distance language relationships?

• They actively research them.

• They are indifferent.

• They are highly supportive.

• They are skeptical and avoid them.

Which group of linguists is actively researching distant language relationships?

• American linguists

• Western European linguists

• Russian linguists

• Asian linguists

What is the estimated time period for a potential single linguistic ancestor?

• 10,000 years ago

• 40,000 years ago

• 20,000 to 25,000 years ago

• 30,000 years ago

What does Murray Gell-Mann suggest about the age of modern language?

• It is younger than cave paintings.

• It is older than cave paintings.

• It is the same age as cave paintings.

• It originated 10,000 years ago.

What concept does Murray Gell-Mann introduce regarding the evolution of languages?

• Language bottleneck

• Language isolation

• Language divergence

• Language expansion