Linguistics more robust than genetics.
Venue: Science
Year: 2009

In their Research Article "Language phylogenies reveal expansion pulses and pauses in Pacific settlement," 23 January, p. [479][1] R. D. Gray et al. analyzed a very large lexical data set on 400 Austronesian languages to shed light on Polynesian origins. The study raises the classic issue of how closely patterns of genetic and linguistic evolution correspond, and which better reflects ancient population histories (the Research Article rejects some genetic based reconstructions of Austronesian history) Other recent studies in the Pacific have shown the robustness of linguistic phylogenetic reconstructions in comparison to genetic ones, when adequate linguistic data sets are available 1  2  Any congruence between linguistics and genetics is disrupted when populations speaking unrelated languages are in close contact. In such cases, genetic distinctions between groups rapidly become blurred, because genetic exchange is generally more prevalent and pervasive than is language borrowing or adoption. Languages are more integrated sets of features than are gene pools. Language change does not occur in a social vacuum, and sociolinguistic pressures to maintain distinctions between groups can evidently have a strong inhibitory effect against linguistic convergence. This underlines the comparative power of historical linguistics for reconstructions of population histories, especially in contact situations. 1.  1. K. Hunley 2. et al PLoS Genet. 4, e1000239 (2008) [OpenUrl][5][CrossRef][6][PubMed][7] 2.  1. J. S. Friedlaender 2. et al PLoS Genet. 4, e19 (2008) [OpenUrl][9][CrossRef][10][PubMed][11]  /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1166858     {openurl}?query=rft.stitle%253DPLoS%2BGenet%26rft.aulast%253DHunley%26rft.auinit1%253DK.%26rft.volume%253D4%26rft.issue%253D10%26rft.spage%253De1000239%26rft.epage%253De1000239%26rft.atitle%253DGenetic%2Band%2Blinguistic%2Bcoevolution%2Bin%2BNorthern%2BIsland%2BMelanesia.%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1371%252Fjournal.pgen.1000239%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F18974871%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88 2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88 2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx  /lookup/external ref?access_num=10.1371/journal.pgen.1000239&link_type=DOI [7] /lookup/external ref?access_num=18974871&link_type=MED&atom=%2Fsci%2F324%2F5926%2F464.3.atom   {openurl}?query=rft.stitle%253DPLoS%2BGenet%26rft.aulast%253DFriedlaender%26rft.auinit1%253DJ.%2BS.%26rft.volume%253D4%26rft.issue%253D1%26rft.spage%253De19%26rft.epage%253De19%26rft.atitle%253DThe%2Bgenetic%2Bstructure%2Bof%2BPacific%2BIslanders.%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1371%252Fjournal.pgen.0040019%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F18208337%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88 2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88 2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx  /lookup/external ref?access_num=10.1371/journal.pgen.0040019&link_type=DOI [11] /lookup/external ref?access_num=18208337&link_type=MED&atom=%2Fsci%2F324%2F5926%2F464.3.atom