Phylogenetic evidence reveals early Kra-Dai divergence and dispersal in the late Holocene

Yuxin Tao, Yuancheng Wei, Jiaqi Ge, Yan Pan, Wenmin Wang, Qianqi Bi, Pengfei Sheng, Changzhong Fu, Wuyun Pan, Li Jin, Hong-Xiang Zheng () and Menghan Zhang ()
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Yuxin Tao: Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, School of Life Science, Fudan University
Yuancheng Wei: Guangxi Minzu University, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
Jiaqi Ge: Fudan University
Yan Pan: Fudan University
Wenmin Wang: Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University
Qianqi Bi: East China University of Political Science and Law
Pengfei Sheng: Fudan University
Changzhong Fu: Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University
Wuyun Pan: Fudan University
Li Jin: Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, School of Life Science, Fudan University
Hong-Xiang Zheng: School of Life Sciences, Fudan University
Menghan Zhang: Fudan University

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Studying language evolution brings a crucial perspective to bear on questions of human prehistory. As the most linguistically diverse region on earth, East and Southeast Asia have witnessed extensive sociocultural and ethnic contacts among different language communities. Especially, the Kra-Dai language family exhibits tremendous socio-cultural importance in these regions. Due to limited historical accounts, however, there are several controversies on their linguistic relatedness, ambiguities regarding the divergence time, and uncertainties on the dispersal patterns. To address these issues, here we apply Bayesian phylogenetic methods to analyze the largest lexical dataset containing 646 cognate sets compiled for 100 Kra-Dai languages. Our dated phylogenetic tree showed their initial divergence occurring approximately 4000 years BP. Phylogeographic results supported the early Kra-Dai language dispersal from the Guangxi-Guangdong area of South China towards Mainland Southeast Asia. Coupled with genetic, archaeological, paleoecologic, and paleoclimatic data, we demonstrated that the Kra-Dai language diversification could have coincided with their demic diffusion and agricultural spread shaped by the global climate change in the late Holocene. The interdisciplinary alignments shed light on reconstructing the prehistory of Kra-Dai languages and provide an indispensable piece of the puzzle for further studying prehistoric human activities in East and Southeast Asia.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42761-x

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