A tree of all modern world languages computed by a program.

 A tree of all modern world languages computed by a program. Distance is calculated based on word lists and phonology.

The remarkable result is the that IE, Uralic, Altaic and Afro-Asiatic ( which contains the Semitic ) form a clade. Notice the Kartvelian is also part of this clade. Another interesting result is that languages are in general grouped by geography. Although there are anomalous results like Basque with Papuans. Or North Caucasian languages with Siberian-Amerindian groups.

At first glance this can support the Nostratic theory but there can be other reasons of such grouping. Like intense horizontal contacts between geographically close languages. For instance there is no doubt that IE tribes had intense contacts with proto Altaic tribes in East Eurasia. The same could be true for the Uralic.

In general from genetic point of view I don't see much support for Nostratic theory. But it seems that there is some rational why linguists still discuss it.

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