The transmission of language occurred at the hands of our male ancestors , and not women, according to a study by the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom). Using genetic markers -the male Y chromosome and female mitochondrial DNA-, scientists have verified that both in the case of the Scandinavian Vikings who reached Great Britain and in the African or Polynesian tribes, the arrival of men to a certain geographical enclave it always had a significant impact on the local use of the language.
According to Colin Renfrew, a co-author of the study, during episodes of colonization by migrant farmers, "men outnumbered women in pioneer groups and took women from the local community as wives." When the two parents had a different language, "that of the father prevailed in the family group," he concludes in an article recently published in the journal Science . To this must be added that it was not uncommon for men to have offspring with several women.
"Although the expression 'mother tongue' is widespread," for Renfrew and his colleagues the reality is quite different, and there is no doubt that "prehistoric women adopted the language of immigrant men, especially if the newcomers recounted their exploits military or had a higher status associated with agriculture or metallurgy. "
