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Over the past decade, a group of prolific and innovative evolutionary biologists has sought to reinvent historical linguistics through the use of phylogenetic and phylogeographical analysis, treating cognates like genes and conceptualizing the spread of languages in terms of the diffusion of viruses. Using these techniques, researchers claim to have located the origin of the Indo-European language family in Neolithic Anatolia, challenging the near-consensus view that it emerged in the grasslands north of the Black Sea thousands of years later. But despite its widespread celebration in the global media, this new approach fails to withstand scrutiny. As languages do not evolve like biological species and do not spread like viruses, the model produces incoherent results, contradicted by the empirical record at every turn. This book asserts that the origin and spread of languages must be examined primarily through the time-tested techniques of linguistic analysis, rather than those of evolutionary biology.

Indo-European languages --- Evolution. Phylogeny --- Historical linguistics --- Indoeuropeiska språk --- Språkhistoria --- Indo-Europeans --- Historical linguistics. --- Linguistic analysis (Linguistics) --- Evolution (Biology) --- Phylogeny. --- Phylogeography. --- Bayesian statistical decision theory. --- forskning --- Study and teaching. --- Research. --- Migrations. --- Origin. --- Språkhistoria. --- Linguistic analysis (Linguistics). --- Evolution (Biology). --- forskning. --- Forskning. --- Phylogeny --- Phylogeography --- Bayesian statistical decision theory --- Study and teaching --- Research --- Origin --- Migrations --- Indo-European languages - Study and teaching --- Indo-European languages - Research --- Indo-Europeans - Origin --- Indo-Europeans - Migrations --- Aryan languages --- Indo-Germanic languages --- Analysis, Linguistic (Linguistics) --- Analysis (Philosophy) --- Grammar, Comparative and general --- Diachronic linguistics --- Dynamic linguistics --- Evolutionary linguistics --- Language and languages --- Language and history --- Linguistics --- Animal phylogeny --- Animals --- Phylogenetics --- Phylogeny (Zoology) --- Biology --- Animal evolution --- Biological evolution --- Darwinism --- Evolutionary biology --- Evolutionary science --- Origin of species --- Evolution --- Biological fitness --- Homoplasy --- Natural selection --- Aryans --- Civilization, Aryan --- Civilization, Indo-European --- Indo-Germanic peoples --- Caucasian race --- Ethnology --- Bayes' solution --- Bayesian analysis --- Statistical decision --- Biogeography --- History