Languages began, or at least became significant, 70,000 to 60,000 years ago.
African and Eurasian languages diverged 70,000 to 50,000 years ago.
Southeast Asian and Eurasian languages diverged 60,000 to 40,000 years ago.
Perhaps, Chinese, Navajo, Basque, Etruscan, and some Caucasian-Mountain languages had a common ancestor {Na-Dene language}, 15000 years ago.
Perhaps, Uralic, Altaic, and Indo-European languages had a common ancestor {Nostratic language}, 15000 years ago. Uralic was in northeast Europe. Altaic was in central Asia. Indo-European was in Anatolia, Turkey.
Languages {Proto-Indo-European language} began in central-Asia steppes among Kurgan horsemen, possibly from Nostratic and/or Na-Dene languages, 10000 to 8500 years ago.
First Samara and Seroglazovo cultures, then Dnieper-Donets and Sredny Stog cultures of Scythians near lower Volga River to Dnieper River, in central Asia steppe at Urheimat, rode horses and had Proto-Indo-European language [-4500 to -4000]. From them developed Kurgan people [-5000 to -3000], who built kurg burial mounds and spread Proto-Indo-European language from southwest Russia {Kurgan hypothesis}, making Kurgan I, Kurgan II, and then Kurgan III. Maykop culture is in north Caucasus [-4000 to -2500]. Kurgan IV or Yamna culture is in steppe [-4000 to -2500]. Globular Amphora culture began in east Europe [-2500]. Proto-Greeks went to Balkans [-2500]. Proto-Persians went there [-2500].
First Chinese written characters were 7500 to 7000 years ago, along Yellow River.
Languages {Sumerian language} began 7000 years ago. Sumerian is a separate language family. Akkadian belongs to Afro-Asiatic languages.
Indo-European language began among farmers in Anatolia, Turkey, 6000 to 5000 years ago, possibly from Nostratic and/or Na-Dene.
Languages {Sanskrit language} began 4000 years ago in Pakistan.
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Date Modified: 2022.0225