How languages evolve

How did we end up with so many languages? And how do we keep track of them all? Alex Gendler explains how linguists group languages into language families, demonstrating how these linguistic trees give us crucial insights into the past.Vocabulary

Trace (verb)
-To follow the trail of.
She traced the development of the English Language.

Populated (adjective)
-Supplied with inhabitants.
France was populated by Gaulish tribes.

Tribe (noun)
-A collection of people who live in a loose family structure.
The tribes hunted wooly mammoths.

Ancestor (noun)
-One from whom a person is descended, whether on the father's or mother's side.
The British Royal family have German ancestors.

Kinship (noun)
-`relation or connection by blood, marriage or adoption.
The kinship between mother and daughter is very strong.

Systematically (verb)
-In an organized manner.
The organisation approached the challenge systermatically