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'''Proto-Indo-European''' is a reconstructed language believed to represent the ancestral language from which all members of the Indo-European family of languages descend. Indo-European languages include the [[West Germanic]], [[North Germanic]], and [[Romance languages]], as well as [[Latin]], [[Greek]] and [[Sanskrit]]. | {{subpages}} | ||
{{dambigbox|the Proto-Indo-European language|Indo-European}} | |||
'''Proto-Indo-European''' is a reconstructed language believed to represent the ancestral language from which all members of the [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European family of languages]] descend. The reconstructed language is often simply called '''Indo-European'''. Indo-European languages include the [[West Germanic]], [[North Germanic]], and [[Romance languages]], as well as [[Latin]], [[Greek]] and [[Sanskrit]]. | |||
The first person to recognize the relationships between Indo-European languages (based on comparison of Greek, Latin and Sanskrit) was Sir William Jones in 1786. This article will discuss the characteristics of the reconstructed language. | The first person to recognize the relationships between Indo-European languages (based on comparison of Greek, Latin and Sanskrit) was Sir William Jones in 1786. This article will discuss the characteristics of the reconstructed language. | ||
*For the science that allows us to reconstruct such a language ''see'' | *For the science that allows us to reconstruct such a language ''see'' [[Historical linguistics]]. | ||
*For a discussion of Proto-Indo-European ethnicity, ''see'' -- | *For a discussion of Proto-Indo-European ethnicity, ''see'' [[Proto-Indo-Europeans]]. | ||
*For a discussion of where these people originated, ''see'' - | *For a discussion of where these people originated, ''see'' [[Indo-European languages#Origins]]. | ||
==Grammar== | ==Grammar== | ||
===Noun cases=== | ===Noun cases=== | ||
Proto-Indo-European is supposed to have had eight noun cases (''see'' '''[[Grammatical case]]'''). | |||
*Of the nouns, there were three [[ | *Of the nouns, there were three [[grammatical number]]s, [[Singular number|singular]], [[Dual number|dual]], and [[Pural number|plural]]; the dual referred to two of anything (as with Arabic) or a natural pair (as with gloves, shoes or eyeglasses, or a pair of jeans) as with [[Hebrew]]. And a few languages have a [[Trial number|trial]], which refers to three of something. | ||
==Reconstruction== | |||
In 1868, [[Albert Schleicher]] published a fable in reconstructed Proto-Indo-European named ''Avis akvāsas ka''. This is supposed to mean "The sheep and the horses". However, Schleicher had based himself mainly on [[Sanskrit]] while reconstructing, and later the text was adapted several times.<ref>http://indo-european.eu/wiki/index.php/Schleicher's_fable</ref> | |||
==Origins== | |||
See: [[Indo-European languages#Origins|Indo-European languages > Origins]]. | |||
==Sources== | ==Sources== | ||
* ''Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture'', edited by James P. Mallory and Douglas Q. Adams; Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997; "Proto-Indo-European", pp. 458-470. | * ''Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture'', edited by James P. Mallory and Douglas Q. Adams; Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997; "Proto-Indo-European", pp. 458-470. | ||
[[ | ==See also== | ||
[[ | *[[Proto-Indo-Europeans]] | ||
*[[Indo-European languages]] | |||
==References== | |||
<references/> | |||
Latest revision as of 08:51, 19 August 2022
This article is about the Proto-Indo-European language. For other uses of the term Indo-European, please see Indo-European (disambiguation).
Proto-Indo-European is a reconstructed language believed to represent the ancestral language from which all members of the Indo-European family of languages descend. The reconstructed language is often simply called Indo-European. Indo-European languages include the West Germanic, North Germanic, and Romance languages, as well as Latin, Greek and Sanskrit.
The first person to recognize the relationships between Indo-European languages (based on comparison of Greek, Latin and Sanskrit) was Sir William Jones in 1786. This article will discuss the characteristics of the reconstructed language.
- For the science that allows us to reconstruct such a language see Historical linguistics.
- For a discussion of Proto-Indo-European ethnicity, see Proto-Indo-Europeans.
- For a discussion of where these people originated, see Indo-European languages#Origins.
Grammar
Noun cases
Proto-Indo-European is supposed to have had eight noun cases (see Grammatical case).
- Of the nouns, there were three grammatical numbers, singular, dual, and plural; the dual referred to two of anything (as with Arabic) or a natural pair (as with gloves, shoes or eyeglasses, or a pair of jeans) as with Hebrew. And a few languages have a trial, which refers to three of something.
Reconstruction
In 1868, Albert Schleicher published a fable in reconstructed Proto-Indo-European named Avis akvāsas ka. This is supposed to mean "The sheep and the horses". However, Schleicher had based himself mainly on Sanskrit while reconstructing, and later the text was adapted several times.[1]
Origins
See: Indo-European languages > Origins.
Sources
- Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, edited by James P. Mallory and Douglas Q. Adams; Fitzroy Dearborn, 1997; "Proto-Indo-European", pp. 458-470.