Linguistic, cultural and genetic perspectives on human diversity in west-central Africa
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Lolke van der Veen
Abstract
This chapter presents the major results of a recent multidisciplinary study of the human diversity of west-central Africa. This diversity is examined from linguistic, cultural and population genetic (mtDNA and Y chromosome) perspectives. The study offers new insights into (i) the peopling of the Cameroon-Gabon area (the so-called “Bantu expansion”), (ii) the linguistic, cultural and genetic exchanges between the various groups of Bantu-speaking farmers over the last three millennia, and (iii) the recent and ancient relationships between these populations and Pygmy hunter-gathering groups. Evidence from mtDNA diversity suggests an initial divergence of the ancestors of contemporary Pygmies from an ancestral central African population starting not earlier than ~70,000 years ago. Evidence from both mtDNA and Y-chromosome variation suggests long-standing and asymmetrical gene flow between the two types of populations.
Abstract
This chapter presents the major results of a recent multidisciplinary study of the human diversity of west-central Africa. This diversity is examined from linguistic, cultural and population genetic (mtDNA and Y chromosome) perspectives. The study offers new insights into (i) the peopling of the Cameroon-Gabon area (the so-called “Bantu expansion”), (ii) the linguistic, cultural and genetic exchanges between the various groups of Bantu-speaking farmers over the last three millennia, and (iii) the recent and ancient relationships between these populations and Pygmy hunter-gathering groups. Evidence from mtDNA diversity suggests an initial divergence of the ancestors of contemporary Pygmies from an ancestral central African population starting not earlier than ~70,000 years ago. Evidence from both mtDNA and Y-chromosome variation suggests long-standing and asymmetrical gene flow between the two types of populations.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
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Language and archaeology
- From the origin of language to the diversification of languages 13
- Early diffusion of domestic bovids in Europe 69
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Language and genes
- Linguistic, cultural and genetic perspectives on human diversity in west-central Africa 93
- The Berber and the Berbers 123
- East meets West 147
- Genetic and linguistic diversity in Central Asia 163
- Genetic and linguistic borders in the Himalayan Region 181
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Language acquisition and language universals
- From babbling to first words in four languages 205
-
Language and animal communication
- The primate roots of human language 235
-
Language evolution and computer modeling
- Can agent-based language evolution contribute to archeology? 267
- Index 287
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
-
Language and archaeology
- From the origin of language to the diversification of languages 13
- Early diffusion of domestic bovids in Europe 69
-
Language and genes
- Linguistic, cultural and genetic perspectives on human diversity in west-central Africa 93
- The Berber and the Berbers 123
- East meets West 147
- Genetic and linguistic diversity in Central Asia 163
- Genetic and linguistic borders in the Himalayan Region 181
-
Language acquisition and language universals
- From babbling to first words in four languages 205
-
Language and animal communication
- The primate roots of human language 235
-
Language evolution and computer modeling
- Can agent-based language evolution contribute to archeology? 267
- Index 287
