How languages evolve - Alex Gendler

Kako se razvijajo jeziki - Alex Gendler

Translator: Nika Kotnik Reviewer: Klavdija Cernilogar

In the biblical story of the Tower of Babel,

V biblijski zgodbi o Babilonskem stolpu

all of humanity once spoke a single language

je vse človeštvo enkrat govorilo en jezik,

until they suddenly split into many groups

dokler se niso naenkrat razdelili v več skupin

unable to understand each other.

in niso več razumeli drug drugega.

We don't really know if such an original language ever existed,

Ne vemo, ali je obstajal tak izvorni jezik,

but we do know that the thousands of languages existing today

a vemo, da tisoči jezikov, ki obstajajo sedaj,

can be traced back to a much smaller number.

izvirajo iz veliko manjšega števila.

So how did we end up with so many?

Kako torej, da jih je sedaj tako veliko?

In the early days of human migration,

V zgodnjih dneh človeških selitev

the world was much less populated.

je bil svet veliko manj naseljen.

Groups of people that shared a single language and culture

Skupine ljudi, ki so si delile jezik in kulturo,

often split into smaller tribes,

so se pogosto razdellile na manjša plemena,

going separate ways in search of fresh game and fertile land.

ki so šla svojo pot v iskanju divjadi in plodne zemlje.

As they migrated and settled in new places,

Ko so se selili in se naselili v novih krajih,

they became isolated from one another

so bili izolirani drug od drugega

and developed in different ways.

in se razvijali na različne načine.

Centuries of living in different conditions,

Stoletja življenja v različnih pogojih,

eating different food

različna hrana

and encountering different neighbors

in srečanja z različnimi sosedi

turned similar dialects with varied pronunciation and vocabulary

so spremenila podobna narečja s spremenljivo izgovorjavo in besediščem

into radically different languages,

v popolnoma različne jezike,

continuing to divide as populations grew and spread out further.

ki so se še delili, ko je prebivalstvo naraščalo in se širilo.

Like genealogists, modern linguists try to map this process

Kot geneologi, moderni jezikoslovci poskušajo razumeti ta proces

by tracing multiple languages back as far as they can

s sledenjem več jezikom kolikor daleč nazaj se da,

to their common ancestor, or protolanguage.

do skupnega prednika ali protojezika.

A group of all languages related in this way is called a language family,

Skupina tako sorodnih jezikov se imenuje družina jezikov,

which can contain many branches and sub-families.

ki lahko vsebuje veliko vej in pod-družin.

So how do we determine whether languages are related in the first place?

Kako lahko torej sploh določimo, ali so si jeziki med seboj res sorodni?

Similar sounding words don't tell us much.

Podobno zveneče besede nam ne povedo veliko.

They could be false cognates or just directly borrowed terms

To so lahko lažni prijatelji ali samo direktno izposojeni izrazi,

rather than derived from a common root.

namesto da bi imeli skupen izvor.

Grammar and syntax are a more reliable guide,

Slovnica in skladnja sta bolj zanesljivi,

as well as basic vocabulary,

prav tako pa osnovno besedišče,

such as pronouns, numbers or kinship terms,

denimo zaimki, številke ali izrazi za sorodstvo,

that's less likely to be borrowed.

ki so redkeje izposojeni.

By systematically comparing these features

S sistematično primerjavo teh lastnosti

and looking for regular patterns of sound changes

in iskanjem vzorcev sprememb glasov

and correspondences between languages,

in podobnostjo med jeziki,

linguists can determine relationships,

lahko jezikoslovci določijo razmerja,

trace specific steps in their evolution

gredo po korakih njihovega razvoja

and even reconstruct earlier languages with no written records.

in celo rekonstruirajo zgodnje jezike brez pisnih virov.

Linguistics can even reveal other important historical clues,

Jezikoslovci lahko celo razkrijejo druge pomembne zgodovinske sledi,

such as determining the geographic origins and lifestyles of ancient peoples

kot so geografski izvor in življenje starodavnih ljudi.

based on which of their words were native,

glede na to, katere besede so bile njihove

and which were borrowed.

in katere izposojene.

There are two main problems linguists face

Jezikoslovci se srečujejo z dvema težavama,

when constructing these language family trees.

ko sestavljajo ta družinska drevesa jezikov.

One is that there is no clear way of deciding

Ena je, da ni jasne odločitve,

where the branches at the bottom should end, that is,

kje naj bi se veje na dnu končale,

which dialects should be considered separate languages or vice versa.

to je, katera narečja naj bi bila ločeni jeziki in obratno.

Chinese is classified as a single language,

Kitajščina je klasificirana kot en jezik,

but its dialects vary to the point of being mutually unintelligible,

a njena narečja se tako razlikujejo, da se med seboj ne razumejo,

while speakers of Spanish and Portuguese

a govorci španščine in portugalščine

can often understand each other.

se pogosto razumejo med seboj.

Languages actually spoken by living people

Jeziki, ki jih govorijo ljudje,

do not exist in neatly divided categories,

niso lepo razdeljeni v kategorije,

but tend to transition gradually,

ampak postopoma prehajajo,

crossing borders and classifications.

gredo prek meja in klasifikacij.

Often the difference between languages and dialects

Pogosto je razlika med jeziki in narečji

is a matter of changing political and national considerations,

stvar spreminjajočih se političnih in nacionalnih obravnav,

rather than any linguistic features.

ne pa jezikovnih lastnosti.

This is why the answer to, "How many languages are there?"

Zato je odgovor na vprašanje, koliko jezikov obstaja,

can be anywhere between 3,000 and 8,000,

lahko kjerkoli med 3000 in 8000,

depending on who's counting.

odvisno od tega, kdo šteje.

The other problem is that the farther we move back in time

Druga težava je, da dlje nazaj ko gremo v času,

towards the top of the tree,

proti vrhu drevesa,

the less evidence we have about the languages there.

manj dokazov imamo o jezikih tam.

The current division of major language families

Trenutna razdelitev na večje družine jezikov

represents the limit at which relationships can be established

predstavlja mejo, do katere lahko vzpostavimo razmerja

with reasonable certainty,

z razumno gotovostjo,

meaning that languages of different families

kar pomeni, da jeziki različnih družin

are presumed not to be related on any level.

niso povezani na nobeni ravni.

But this may change.

A to se lahko spremeni.

While many proposals for higher level relationships --

Medtem ko je veliko predlogov za razmerja višje ravni -

or super families -- are speculative,

ali super družine - hipotetičnih,

some have been widely accepted

so nekateri sprejeti

and others are being considered,

in o drugih premišljujejo,

especially for native languages with small speaker populations

še posebej za staroselske jezike z majhnim številom govorcev,

that have not been extensively studied.

ki še niso bili podrobneje preučeni.

We may never be able to determine how language came about,

Morda nikoli ne bomo ugotovili, kako je jezik nastal,

or whether all human languages did in fact have a common ancestor

in ali imajo vsi človeški jeziki res skupnega prednika,

scattered through the babel of migration.

ki se je izgubil v babilonu selitev.

But the next time you hear a foreign language, pay attention.

A ko naslednjič slišite tuj jezik, bodite pozorni.

It may not be as foreign as you think.

Morda ni tako tuj, kot si mislite.