Which of the following best explains the difference between two predominant theories of the origins of language?

Question

Most linguists believe that current languages have shared roots, while Quentin Atkinson believes they developed individually in isolation.

Most linguists believe that languages primarily developed in isolation, while Quentin Atkinson believes they developed in superfamilies.

Some linguists believe that all languages came from Indo-European, while Quentin Atkinson believes that they stemmed from African languages.

Some linguists believe that current languages were once joined in superfamilies, while Quentin Atkinson believes that all languages can ultimately be traced to Africa.

All linguists believe that current languages belong to the same superfamily, while Quentin Atkinson believes that they all belong to different families of African languages.

Answer 1

The statement that best explains the difference between the two predominant theories of the origins of language is:

Some linguists believe that current languages were once joined in superfamilies, while Quentin Atkinson believes that all languages can ultimately be traced to Africa.

This statement captures the idea that many linguists propose a model where languages evolved from common ancestral languages (superfamilies), while Atkinson's theory emphasizes a single origin for all languages tracing back to Africa.