Nevertheless, there is a long-accepted link between the speakers of Proto-Southern Cushitic languages and the East African Savanna Pastoral Neolithic (5000 years ago), and archaeological evidence associates the Proto-Cushitic speakers with economic transformations in the Sahara dating c. 8,500 ago, as well as the speakers of the Proto-Zenati variety of the Berber languages with an expansion across the Maghreb in the 5th century CE.
nˌɛvɚðəlˈɛs, ðɛɹ ɪz ɐ lˈɔŋɐksˈɛptᵻd lˈɪŋk bᵻtwˌiːn ðə spˈiːkɚz ʌv pɹˈoʊɾoʊsˈʌðɚn kʊʃˈɪɾɪk lˈæŋɡwɪdʒᵻz ænd ðɪ ˈiːst ˈæfɹɪkən sævˈænə pˈæstɚɹəl nˌiːoʊlˈɪθɪk fˈaɪv θˈaʊzənd jˈɪɹz ɐɡˈoʊ, ænd ˌɑːɹkiːəlˈɑːdʒɪkəl ˈɛvɪdəns ɐsˈoʊsɪˌeɪts ðə pɹˈoʊɾoʊkʊʃˈɪɾɪk spˈiːkɚz wɪð ˌiːkənˈɑːmɪk tɹænsfoːɹmˈeɪʃənz ɪnðə sɐhˈæɹə dˈeɪɾɪŋ sˈiː. ˈeɪt,fˈaɪvhˈʌndɹɪd ɐɡˈoʊ, æz wˈɛl æz ðə spˈiːkɚz ʌvðə pɹˈoʊɾoʊzɛnˈɑːɾi vɚɹˈaɪəɾi ʌvðə bˈɜːbɚ lˈæŋɡwɪdʒᵻz wɪð ɐn ɛkspˈænʃən əkɹˌɑːs ðə mˈæɡɹɛb ɪnðə fˈɪfθ sˈɛntʃɚɹi sˌiːˈiː.