Overview

• The team used genetic admixture as a proxy to detect more than 125 comparable episodes of past contact across continents.
• In those cases, unrelated languages showed a reliably higher probability of sharing sounds, words or grammatical patterns.
• The extent of convergence was similar regardless of scale, spanning events from ancient Neolithic movements to recent colonial encounters.
• Borrowing differed by feature, with social dynamics—power, prestige and group identity—often determining what transfers.
• Researchers also observed divergence where groups accentuated differences, and they warn that globalization, climate pressures and displacement could further reshape linguistic diversity.