世界祖語

世界祖語（せかいそご、Proto-world language）または人類祖語（じんるいそご、Proto-human language）とは世界の全語族の最も近い共通祖先として想定される言語。

世界の語族の比較
アメリカの言語学者メリット・ルーレンは、試みとして多くの単語について、世界中の言語における似た音・語義の形の存在に基づいて、その祖語を追跡している。

ベングトソンとルーレンら(1994年)は27の「世界語源」を確認した。下の表(ルーレン(1994)による)はこれらの形からいくつかを挙げたものである。

(Vは不明母音の意。）

これらの対応に基づき、ルーレン(1994b:105)は以下の語根を祖語として挙げている。

ku = 誰

ma = 何

pal = 2

akwa = 水

tik =  指

kanV = 腕

boko = 腕

buŋku = 膝

sum = 髪

putV = 女性器

čuna = 鼻・におい

文献

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関連項目
言語の起源

祖語
言語学の理論と仮説