Monogenesis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Monogenesis means "single origin". It has been used in various contexts as an antonym for polygenism, or "multiple origin".
[edit] Race
In the 19th century, the term monogenesis was used to refer to the theory, supported by traditional interpretations of the Bible, that human beings all descended from a single recent pair of ancestors, and were thus closely related to one another. In contrast, polygenists argued that separate races should be understood as distinct species. This view was also sometimes claimed to have Biblical support.
This dispute later evolved into the debate over the single origin hypothesis.
[edit] Linguistics
In linguistics monogenism refers to the theory that all languages derive from a single Proto-World language, as opposed to the view that language may have evolved independently on more than one occasion.
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