The distinct languages in Asia have limited the extent of historical interactions between different population groups, leading to a greater degree of genetic homogeneity between populations sharing the same linguistic system while extending the genetic differences between populations with different linguistic systems.
Mark Hineline, Escondido, Calif.: Your analysis of the Duke scandal through two distinct language games — one, the language of sociology; the other, the language of character and morality — seems convincing until one thinks about the historical changes that accompany the historical changes that accompany the change in language games.
The period saw the gradual decline of the various dialects spoken in the country and the establishment of two distinct language groups, French in Wallonia and Dutch in Flanders.
The difficulty in establishing distinct language boundaries is the result of a gradual and continuous migration of peoples that has produced a complex pattern of merged ethnic groups.
Parliament introduced and quickly passed a resolution stating that the Ainu had a "distinct language, religion and culture," setting aside the belief, long expressed by conservatives, that Japan is an ethnically homogeneous nation.
Cross a single street, from one neighborhood into the next, and you will often find a suddenly changed style of architecture, a distinct language on the signs and, in the street, an utterly different feel.
But the Gaelic advocates worry that the other aspects of their culture may wane with time without the anchor of a distinct language.
In this context, fatherland becomes synonymous with the nation and its distinct language and culture, which give it unity and coherence.
Scottish government ministers were also pleased that the number of residents saying they could speak or understand Scots – regarded by the government as a distinct language – stood at 1.5 million.
