The Indo European Language Family A large group

The Indo. European Language Family A large group of languages spoken over most of Europe and also in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Northern India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. They developed from a parent language probably spoken somewhere in eastern Europe or Western Asia around 5000 years ago.

An Example of the Evidence: Words for `is’ • • • German: ist Russian yest Latin (ancient European language) est Ancient Greek esti Sanskrit (ancient Indian language) asti Can you guess what the original word probably was?

An Example of the Evidence: Words for `is’ • • • German: ist Russian yest Latin (ancient European language) est Ancient Greek esti Sanskrit (ancient Indian language) asti Can you guess what the original word probably was? *esti

What the original language might have been like `Ner owiom r wihnam sebhi Man sheep ‘s wool gwhermom to-himself warm westrom kwerneuti neghi owiom wihna esti. ’ clothing makes nor to-sheep wool Tod kekluwos owis agrom ebhuget. That having-heard sheep to-plain fled is

Branches of Indo-European in Asia • HITTITE (ancient language once spoken in Turkey) • TOCHARIAN (ancient language once spoken in Sinkiang (新疆 )) • INDO-IRANIAN – PERSIAN and similar languages – INDO-ARYAN (languages of northern India and nearby countries)

Uriah the HITTITE (赫人烏利亞) was sent to die in battle by King David so that David could take his wife - Samuel II, 11 (撒母耳記下)

Hittite Writing Method

Chinese Oracle Bone

Mummified body of a Tocharian speaker? 1500 B. C. ?

A hymn to the god Ganesh from the Rigveda, written in Sanskrit, an ancient INDO-IRANIAN language

INDO-ARYAN LANGUAGES • • [SANSKRIT] HINDI/URDU NEPALI Bengali Gujarati Marathi Sinhala

What’s your name (in Indo. Aryan) • Sanskrit: Tava nama kim asti? • Hindi/Urdu: Tumhara nam kya hai? • Nepali: Timro nam ke ho? • Gujarati: Tamarun nam shun che?

European Language Groups • CELTIC: spoken in small areas of North. Western Europe • SLAVIC: spoken in Eastern Europe • GERMANIC: spoken in Northern Europe • ROMANCE: spoken in Southern Europe

CELTIC • • • WELSH [Cornish] Breton IRISH Gaelic [Manx]

SLAVIC • • • Russian Ukranian Polish Czech Bulgarian SERBO-CROATIAN

GERMANIC • • • GERMAN Dutch ENGLISH Danish Swedish Norwegian

COMPARING GERMANIC LANGUAGES • English: The king slept in my house for two nights • Dutch: De koning sliep in mijn huis voor twee nachten. • German: Der König schlief in meinem Haus für zwei Nächte

ROMANCE • • • [LATIN] SPANISH Portuguese ITALIAN FRENCH Romanian

We love our mother (in Romance) • Latin: nostram matrem amamus • Spanish: Amamos a nuestra madre • Italian: Amiamo la nostra madre • French: Nous aimons notre mère

How Latin may have sounded 2000 years ago (http: //www. rhapsodes. fll. vt. edu/audiofiles/aeneis 1. mp 3) • Arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris arms man also sing-I Troy’s who first • Italiam fato profugus Italy-to fate-by refugee Laviniaque from shores venit Lavinian-also came • litora multum ille et terris iactatus et alto coasts-to much he both land-on harassed and sea-at • vi superum saevae memorem Iunonis ob iram. force-by gods’ cruel memorable Juno’s from anger