What is the correct definition of a language family as given in the material?

What is the correct definition of a language family as given in the material?

• A. A group of languages that descend from a common ancestor
• B. A language with no grammar
• C. A language with borrowed words
• D. A language used only in literature

Answer: (A)

Language families capture historical relationships among languages: a group of languages that descend from a common ancestor. This means they share a proto-language and show systematic similarities in vocabulary, sounds, and grammar that reflect that shared origin. For example, English, German, and Dutch belong to the same family because they evolved from proto-Germanic and retain related features. The other options don’t reflect how languages are related over time: a language with no grammar isn’t a valid natural language, borrowed words describe contact rather than inheritance, and being used only in literature is about usage, not ancestral lineage.

Language families capture historical relationships among languages: a group of languages that descend from a common ancestor. This means they share a proto-language and show systematic similarities in vocabulary, sounds, and grammar that reflect that shared origin. For example, English, German, and Dutch belong to the same family because they evolved from proto-Germanic and retain related features. The other options don’t reflect how languages are related over time: a language with no grammar isn’t a valid natural language, borrowed words describe contact rather than inheritance, and being used only in literature is about usage, not ancestral lineage.