Splashes broke the quiet burbling of the river as the man and woman jumped out of their

boat.

They pushed the dugout up onto the shore, the water coming up to their thighs, and

waved when they saw the four laughing children running down to the riverbank to meet them.

Na Ni Senotata, they called out. Grandmother, grandfather. Their grandparents caught them in

their arms and hugged them. Grandfather went to the pain and his arthritic back as he lifted

a pair of granddaughters. Where is your mother? He asked, pausing for a moment to wrap his tongue

around the words in a language he knew but rarely used. It was close to his own, but enough of the

words were different to make him stop and think. That Matir was just downstream, their oldest grandson

said, drawing water. Matir thought the grandfather. I would say Matir. But his daughter called him

Patir or Fatir as her husband's family said. Did she remember the language of her birth learned

in their village just a few miles up the river? His son-in-law caught a glimpse of him as he

walked down toward his daughter's reported location and raised a hand in greeting.

Svekru, he said, bowing his head as a sign of respect. He was a good man, thought the old grandfather.

What did the pronunciation of words matter if his daughter was happy? His grandchildren were healthy

and growing and their flocks and herds prospered. That was certainly a prosperous looking pile of

cow manure he had just stepped in. No, he decided the words mattered little. He would greet her as

his daughter and thank the gods for her health, no matter what tongue she spoke to him.

Language is one of the core aspects of human life, but it's always changing.

Language is transformed over time. Their speakers move around and people make choices about what

tongue they'll speak. Today, let's take a look at the languages of the world around 1200 BC.

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