Living in the mountains can change the way you speak

Living at high altitudes can change the way people speak and may help to explain why different languages have evolved around the world.  

Scientists have found that languages that use "ejective" consonants – rapid bursts of air exhaled while making a sound – tend to be spoken at higher altitudes.

Ejective consonants are not used in the English language, but may be easier to produce in thin mountain air, the researchers believe.

It is some of the first evidence for how geography can influence the sounds produced in a language.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/10117037/Living-in-the-mountains-can-change-the-way-you-speak.html