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China / Science
Topic | China science

Holly Chik
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Published: 8:00am, 11 Nov, 2021
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Modern languages ranging from Japanese and Korean to Turkish and Mongolian may share a common ancestor from ancient China around 9,000 years ago, according to a new study.
An international team of researchers said languages from the Transeurasian family, also known as Altaic, could be traced back to early millet farmers in the Liao valley in what is now northeast China and its spread was driven by agriculture.
Study says Japanese, Korean and Turkish languages all emerged from common ancestor in northeast China
- International study concludes that the Transeurasian, or Altaic, language family emerged from farmers in the West Liao valley and spread across Asia
- The link between the five groups in the family has been hotly contested, but researchers say there is archaeological and genetic evidence to support the theory
Topic | China science
Holly Chik
+ FOLLOW
Published: 8:00am, 11 Nov, 2021
Why you can trust SCMP


Modern languages ranging from Japanese and Korean to Turkish and Mongolian may share a common ancestor from ancient China around 9,000 years ago, according to a new study.
An international team of researchers said languages from the Transeurasian family, also known as Altaic, could be traced back to early millet farmers in the Liao valley in what is now northeast China and its spread was driven by agriculture.