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All About Indo European Languages - The Language Pedia Podcast
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May 15, 2025
All About Indo European Languages - The Language Pedia Podcast Hello language enthusiasts! It's Oualid here with another exciting video. This episode from Lingualid explores the Indo-European language family, tracing its origins to Proto-Indo-European, likely spoken in the Pontic-Caspian Steppe. It details the family's vast geographic spread and significant influence on Western civilization, highlighting key figures like William Jones and the development of historical linguistics. Major branches of the family, including Germanic, Italic, and Indo-Iranian, are examined, along with their evolution and modern distribution. It also touches upon genetic research supporting the Kurgan hypothesis regarding the Indo-Europeans' origins and migration patterns. Finally, the lasting impact of Indo-European languages on global communication and culture is emphasized. You can read the full article here: https://lingualid.com/indo-european-languages/ 🔔 Don't forget to subscribe and hit the bell icon so you won't miss out on any new videos. 📚 For more in-depth discussions and articles, check out my blog, Lingualid: https://lingualid.com **Social Links:**
View Video Transcript
0:00
Welcome to our Deep dive uh into the
0:02
fascinating world of Indo-European
0:04
languages we'll be looking at an article
0:06
from ling.com it's called discover the
0:09
fascinating world of Indo-European
0:10
languages we're going to uncover the
0:12
origins and spread of this massive
0:14
language family it's pretty incredible
0:16
how many languages are connected from
0:18
you know English to farsy to Hindi we're
0:20
going to be looking at how these
0:21
connections impact history and culture
0:23
today yeah it really is it's a journey
0:26
that takes us back thousands of years to
0:28
uncover this linguistic family tree that
0:30
connects almost half of the world's
0:32
population okay so to kind of start our
0:34
journey let's go back to the late 1700s
0:36
with William Jones a British judge in
0:39
India and uh Jones was kind of a
0:41
language buff you know and while working
0:43
in India he started to notice some
0:45
really interesting similarities between
0:47
Sanskrit Latin and Greek right now on
0:51
the surface these languages they seem
0:53
completely different but Jones's
0:55
observations they sparked a whole new
0:57
field of study historical linguistic
1:00
yeah so that's the study of how
1:01
languages evolve over time and what's so
1:04
fascinating is that you know before
1:05
Jones people hadn't really considered
1:08
these deep historical connections
1:10
between languages right so his work was
1:12
pretty revolutionary it led to this
1:14
identification of the indoeuropean
1:16
language family which again is massive
1:19
it encompasses over 445 living languages
1:23
wow spoken by almost half the world's
1:25
population really yeah it's mindboggling
1:28
to think about you know billions of
1:30
people across the globe connected by
1:33
this ancient linguistic thread it's like
1:35
discovering this hidden network right
1:37
that links people from all walks of life
1:39
across continents throughout history EXA
1:41
they pretty cool so this family it has
1:43
branches right like like a giant oak
1:45
tree yeah you can think of it like that
1:47
we've got the Germanic italic Slavic
1:50
Indo Iranian Celtic branches and even
1:53
some extinct branches like Anatolian and
1:55
turuan wow so many branches it is a lot
1:59
of branches
2:00
um you know the article use this great
2:03
example you know to kind of illustrate
2:04
this English German Dutch and yish all
2:08
descended from this common ancestor
2:11
called common Germanic right so it's
2:13
kind of like you know we're able to look
2:15
back in time and see how these languages
2:17
you know they diverged yeah and
2:19
developed their own unique
2:20
characteristics precisely and that's
2:22
where this concept of Proto
2:23
Indo-European comes in it's like the
2:25
trunk of that massive tree we were just
2:27
talking about the hypothetical ancestor
2:30
of all the Indo-European languages right
2:33
so how do linguists like go about
2:35
reconstructing a language that no one
2:37
speaks anymore I mean they don't have
2:39
time traveling dictionaries or anything
2:40
do they no no time traveling
2:42
dictionaries unfortunately that's where
2:43
the real detective work comes in okay
2:45
you know linguists compare the
2:46
descendants of Proto Indo European you
2:48
know they're looking for patterns and
2:50
sound changes vocabulary grammar for
2:53
example you know by looking at how words
2:55
for father or son have changed in
2:57
different Indo-European languages you
3:00
can kind of start to get an idea of what
3:02
that original word might have been so
3:04
they're piecing together Clues from the
3:05
languages we speak today to try to
3:07
understand the language of the past
3:08
exactly and while we can't perfectly
3:11
reconstruct Proto indoeuropean you know
3:13
we've learned some fascinating things
3:15
about it okay what kind of things like
3:17
it seems to have had this you know very
3:19
complex sound system okay and something
3:22
called a blout a blout yeah what's that
3:25
it's it's basically a system of vowel
3:27
changes within words oh okay can you
3:30
give me an example of a blout sure yeah
3:32
think of like the English verb Sing sang
3:34
s okay you see how the vowel changes
3:37
that change in the vowel is a direct
3:39
inheritance from Proto indoeuropean
3:41
ablout system really yeah it's pretty
3:44
cool it's a really great example of how
3:46
these ancient linguistic features you
3:49
know they still echo in English today
3:51
yeah that is pretty cool makes you kind
3:53
of think about the journey those words
3:54
have taken through time okay could how
3:57
do we know like where the this Proto
4:00
indoeuropean language originated was
4:02
there a single place where it all began
4:04
that is like the million dooll question
4:07
and it's one that has generated a lot of
4:09
debate amongst linguists and
4:10
archaeologists of course um but you know
4:13
what are some of the leading theories
4:15
well the most widely accepted theory is
4:17
called the Kyan hypothesis okay it
4:20
places the Indo-European Homeland in the
4:22
pontic Caspian step region which is you
4:25
know North the Black Sea okay and it
4:27
links the Proto indoan speakers to the
4:30
yam NAA culture yam yeah yam NAA around
4:33
6,000 years ago okay so we're talking
4:36
about you know a nomadic horse hurting
4:38
culture kind of spreading their language
4:40
as they migrated across these vast
4:43
territories sounds almost like something
4:44
out of a movie it does have a certain
4:46
kind of Epic quality to it doesn't it
4:48
and there's some really fascinating
4:50
evidence to support this Theory like for
4:52
example genetic Studies have shown this
4:54
prevalence of the Y DNA Hao group r1a
4:59
okay hold on so you're saying we can use
5:01
genetics to trace the movement of
5:02
languages exactly wow this specific
5:05
genetic marker links populations from
5:07
Europe to India to parts of Central Asia
5:11
and it's particularly strong in areas
5:13
that are associated with the yamnah
5:15
culture okay so you know this genetic
5:18
evidence combined with you know the
5:19
linguistic data kind of paints this
5:21
really compelling picture of how this
5:23
language family might have spread so
5:25
genetics is telling the same story as
5:26
Linguistics yeah that's amazing I'm
5:29
really incred
5:30
it is but I mean was it just migration I
5:32
imagine there were other factors
5:33
involved too right absolutely you know
5:35
the spread of indoan languages it likely
5:38
wasn't just about migration it probably
5:40
involved this complex mix of Conquest
5:43
trade cultural exchange happening you
5:46
know over thousands of years it's like
5:47
this giant puzzle right with pieces
5:50
scattered across continents and through
5:52
time and we're still feeling the effects
5:53
of this this massive linguistic and
5:55
cultural expansion today we really are
5:58
but you know before we move on on I
6:00
think it's worth taking a moment to kind
6:02
of appreciate how groundbreaking the
6:05
Kyan hypothesis is I mean we're talking
6:08
about using Linguistics and genetics to
6:11
reconstruct events that happened
6:12
thousands of years ago I mean it's like
6:15
we're peering into a time machine and
6:17
uncovering the secrets of our ancient
6:19
past you're right it is absolutely
6:21
amazing what we can learn from combining
6:23
you know different fields of study it is
6:25
it's very cool okay now I'm really
6:27
curious to hear more about how this an
6:29
language family has shaped the world we
6:31
live in today let's do it so let's dive
6:34
into that okay okay so we've traced the
6:35
origins of the induran language family
6:38
back thousands of years we have now
6:40
let's fast forward to today what are
6:43
some ways that this ancient family tree
6:45
is still impacting the world we live in
6:48
well for one just the sheer number of
6:50
speakers I mean almost half the world's
6:51
population speaks an Indo-European
6:53
language that's true it's a testament to
6:55
the lasting impact that these languages
6:57
have had on a global scale yeah it's not
6:59
just about numbers though right it's
7:00
about the influence they've had right
7:02
you know on the development of cultures
7:03
and civilization absolutely think about
7:05
it so much of our literature our
7:08
philosophy our scientific thought you
7:11
know has roots in Indo-European
7:14
languages yeah from you know the ancient
7:16
Greek philosophers to the Renaissance
7:18
thinkers to you know even the modern
7:20
Scientific Revolution right these
7:23
languages have been the vehicles for you
7:26
know for the exchange of ideas that have
7:27
shaped human history it's amazing to
7:30
think
7:30
about you know how these languages have
7:32
carried knowledge and ideas across
7:35
continents and through time yeah it
7:37
really is and the article points out
7:39
that the influence extends Beyond just
7:41
intellectual Pursuits right it's kind of
7:43
woven into the fabric of our daily lives
7:46
yeah for sure take for example like the
7:48
legal and political systems of many
7:50
countries around the world they often
7:51
have roots in Roman law which itself is
7:54
a product of the Indo European language
7:56
family right or or look at the spread of
7:58
democracy
8:00
the very word democracy comes from
8:02
ancient Greek wow yeah which is an
8:05
Indo-European language I never thought
8:07
about it that way it's really
8:08
fascinating you know it's like we're
8:10
surrounded by the legacy of these
8:11
languages without even realizing it
8:14
exactly and then you know you've got
8:15
this really fascinating phenomenon of
8:18
borrowed words right you know English
8:21
for example is it's kind of like a
8:23
linguistic Melting Pot yeah it's got
8:25
words borrowed from Latin French Spanish
8:28
Italian you know countless other
8:30
Indo-European languages that's why
8:32
English vocabulary can feel so vast
8:35
sometimes it's huge little overwhelming
8:37
yeah but that's also what makes it so
8:39
rich and expressive right exactly and it
8:41
highlights the fact that languages are
8:43
constantly evolving and influencing each
8:45
other right it's like this giant
8:46
tapestry woven together from these
8:48
threads of you know different languages
8:50
and cultures absolutely it's beautiful
8:53
but I mean can studying these linguistic
8:55
connections actually tell us anything
8:57
about history yeah oh absolutely by
9:00
analyzing the changes in language over
9:02
time we can reconstruct ancient
9:04
migrations trade routes cultural
9:07
interactions even social structure
9:10
really so it's like using language as a
9:11
time machine exactly it's pretty
9:13
incredible can you give me a specific
9:14
example of how that works sure take the
9:17
fact that Proto indoeuropean is
9:19
estimated to have been spoken around the
9:20
same time as the invention of the wheel
9:22
and axle oh this suggests that the
9:24
original speakers were you know likely
9:26
pastoral people herders you know they
9:29
migrated with their livestock okay and
9:32
we can even glean some insights into
9:33
their social structure really you know
9:35
the fact that they had specific words
9:37
for like King and Chieftain suggests a
9:40
hierarchical society so we can learn
9:42
about you know the lives of people who
9:43
lived thousands of years ago just by
9:45
studying word origins in grammar exactly
9:48
it's amazing it is fascinating yeah and
9:51
I mean the discoveries don't stop there
9:53
right oh they don't some Scholars have
9:55
even attempted to reconstruct the
9:56
mythology and belief systems of the
9:58
original Proto indoan speakers wait hold
10:01
on you're saying we can reconstruct
10:04
ancient myths by studying language it's
10:07
possible it's a very complex process bet
10:09
yeah but you know the basic idea is to
10:12
look for these recurring patterns and
10:14
shared themes in the myths and legends
10:17
of different Indo-European cultures okay
10:19
like for example you know the sky God
10:22
often associated with thunder and
10:23
lightning is you know he's a very common
10:25
figure in Indo-European mythologies okay
10:27
you know you see him in Zeus of the
10:29
Greeks Jupiter of the Romans Thor of the
10:32
Norse and Dias patar and the vidic
10:34
tradition of ancient India so these
10:37
these seemingly disperate cultures they
10:39
might have shared a common set of myths
10:41
and beliefs that were passed down
10:43
through their languages it's a
10:44
fascinating possibility it and it really
10:46
speaks to these you know these deep
10:48
connections that exist between these
10:50
cultures connections that are often
10:51
hidden beneath you know layers of time
10:54
and linguistic change it really makes
10:56
you wonder what other secrets are
10:58
encoded in the language we speak today
11:00
that's a great question it is yeah and
11:03
it's one that you know linguists and
11:06
historians are constantly grappling with
11:08
of course you know the study of language
11:10
is an ongoing journey of Discovery and
11:13
there are still so many Mysteries
11:14
waiting to be uncovered it's incredible
11:16
to think that we can learn so much about
11:18
history about culture about ourselves
11:21
even through the study of language yeah
11:23
it's amazing but before we get too
11:25
carried away with the philosophical
11:26
implications let's get back to our
11:27
article from lingual lid
11:29
right and the main points here okay so
11:31
let's do a quick recap we've talked
11:33
about the origins of the Indo-European
11:36
language family right the impact of
11:38
these languages on global culture yep
11:40
and how linguistic analysis can actually
11:43
help us understand the past what else is
11:45
there well I think it's important to
11:47
emphasize that the story of Indo
11:49
European languages is not over right you
11:51
know these languages they continue to
11:53
evolve and adapt to the changing world
11:56
around us of course they're constantly
11:58
interacting with each other with other
12:00
language families okay creating new
12:02
forms of expression and just reflecting
12:05
the dynamic nature of human culture so
12:09
so the Indo-European language family is
12:11
not just a relic of the past no it's a
12:14
living breathing entity that continues
12:17
to shape our world exactly okay and that
12:20
brings us to a really crucial Point
12:22
what's that I mean what can we learn
12:24
from all of this why should anyone care
12:27
about you know the history of a language
12:29
family that originated thousands of
12:31
years ago that's a great question what's
12:33
the takeaway for our listeners well for
12:35
one and I think it gives us a sense of
12:37
perspective it reminds us that we're all
12:39
part of a much larger story right a
12:41
human story that transcends borders and
12:44
languages it's a reminder of our shared
12:46
Heritage exactly you know even if we
12:48
speak different languages and come from
12:50
different parts of the world it's
12:51
fascinating it is and it also highlights
12:53
you know the power of language yeah
12:55
right language is not just a tool for
12:57
communication no it's not it's a window
12:59
into the human mind it is a reflection
13:02
of our history a source of creativity
13:04
and Innovation I love that yeah it's a
13:06
reminder that language is much more than
13:09
just words right absolutely it's a
13:10
fundamental part of what makes us human
13:12
exactly and by understanding you know
13:15
the history and evolution of languages I
13:18
think we can gain a deeper appreciation
13:20
for the complexity and richness of human
13:23
culture and not just that but also just
13:25
the sheer kind of intellectual Wonder of
13:29
it all right reconstructing ancient
13:31
languages tracing their spread across
13:33
continents uncovering Secrets encoded in
13:35
their grammar and vocabulary it's a
13:37
testament to the power of human
13:39
curiosity and Ingenuity I agree it's
13:42
really inspiring to think about what we
13:43
can learn about ourselves in our world
13:46
through the study of language it is and
13:48
you know it's a field that's constantly
13:49
evolving you know new discoveries are
13:51
being made all the time so while we've
13:53
covered a lot of ground today we have
13:55
this is really just the beginning of the
13:56
journey exactly the world of
13:59
Indo-European languages is vast and
14:02
endlessly fascinating and who knows what
14:05
other Mysteries are out there waiting to
14:07
be uncovered you know well that brings
14:09
us to the end of our Deep dive does it
14:11
but before we wrap things up is there
14:13
anything else you want to share with our
14:14
listeners any final thoughts or
14:16
recommendations well I think you know
14:18
the most important thing is to encourage
14:21
continued exploration okay if you're
14:23
interested in learning more you know I
14:25
highly recommend checking out the full
14:27
article on ling.com it's a great
14:30
starting point for further research and
14:32
who knows maybe this deep dive will
14:34
inspire you to you know delve into a
14:36
specific Indo-European language or even
14:39
take up Linguistics as a hobby who knows
14:41
that's a great suggestion learning
14:43
another language can be a really
14:45
rewarding experience it can and it can
14:47
definitely deepen your understanding of
14:48
you know the concepts we've been
14:50
discussing today yeah for sure and even
14:52
if you don't become a fluent speaker
14:54
just understanding you know the basic
14:56
principles of language Evolution can
14:58
open up a whole new way of looking at
15:00
the world okay so to wrap up our deep
15:03
dive let's kind of summarize the key
15:04
takeaways for our listeners okay you
15:06
know we started with William Jones a
15:08
British judge in India right who noticed
15:11
these these striking similarities
15:13
between Sanskrit Latin and Greek yeah
15:15
those observations were key his
15:17
observations sparked the field of
15:19
historical Linguistics leading to the
15:21
identification of the Indo-European
15:23
language family which encompasses you
15:26
know over 445 living languages spoken by
15:29
nearly half the world's population it's
15:31
mind-blowing it is mind-blowing we
15:34
explored the concept of Proto
15:36
indoeuropean right the hypothetical
15:39
ancestor of all Indo European languages
15:41
yeah and we talked about how linguists
15:43
reconstruct this ancient Language by
15:45
comparing its descendants looking for
15:47
patterns and sound changes in grammar
15:49
the detective work right we also delved
15:51
into the Kyan hypothesis yeah which
15:53
suggests that the Indo-European Homeland
15:55
was located in the pontic Caspian step
15:57
region right and and we talked about how
15:59
genetic evidence supports this Theory
16:02
it's really compelling and finally we
16:04
discussed the lasting impact of
16:06
Indo-European languages on global
16:08
culture and history yeah from you know
16:10
literature and philosophy to political
16:13
systems and legal codes we also touched
16:15
on the fascinating phenomenon of
16:17
borrowed words and how these words
16:19
reflect the dynamic interplay between
16:22
languages a lot of information I think
16:24
it's safe to say we've covered a lot of
16:26
ground today we have but most
16:28
importantly I hope that this deep dive
16:30
has inspired you to think about language
16:32
in a new way that's what we were hoping
16:34
for language is much more than just a
16:36
means of communication right absolutely
16:39
it's a reflection of who we are where we
16:41
come from and what we believe in and
16:43
it's something we should all cherish and
16:44
explore well said thank you for guiding
16:47
us through this fascinating world of
16:48
linguistic Discovery it's been my
16:50
pleasure I know I've learned a lot today
16:52
me too until next time yeah until next
16:54
time you know it it's amazing to think
16:56
about how much information is of encoded
16:59
in the languages we speak yeah yeah it
17:02
really is it's like each word is this
17:04
little time capsule carrying these
17:07
traces of ancient migrations cultural
17:11
exchanges right even the thoughts and
17:13
beliefs of our ancestors you know we've
17:15
been on quite a journey today starting
17:17
with you know a British judge in India
17:19
right noticing these similarities
17:21
between Sanskrit Latin and Greek yeah
17:24
and that simple observation it opened up
17:25
this whole new world of understanding
17:28
about how languages evolve how they're
17:30
connected right you know across vast
17:33
stretches of time and geography it
17:35
really is incredible it is power of
17:37
observation you know and from that
17:39
initial spark we've kind of explored
17:41
this vastness of the Indo-European
17:44
language family yeah a family that
17:46
includes hundreds of languages spoken by
17:49
nearly half of the world's population
17:51
yeah it really highlights how
17:52
interconnected we are as humans even if
17:54
we speak different languages exactly and
17:56
live in different parts of the world
17:57
it's a beautiful thing you know to think
17:59
about and it's not just about the
18:01
historical connections right the
18:02
Indo-European language family it
18:05
continues to shape our world today
18:07
influencing everything from literature
18:09
and science to politics and law yeah
18:13
absolutely I mean think about the
18:14
English language for instance it's this
18:16
blend of Germanic roots with influences
18:19
from Latin French Greek and countless
18:23
other Indo-European languages it's like
18:25
a linguistic tapestry right with threads
18:28
from all these different cultures woven
18:30
together exactly and that tapestry is
18:31
still being woven right yeah absolutely
18:33
languages continue to evolve they
18:35
reflect the changing world around us
18:37
they adapt to new technologies they
18:39
incorporate new ideas and even create
18:42
new ways of thinking it's amazing it is
18:45
so while our Deep dive into
18:46
Indo-European languages is coming to an
18:48
end the exploration of language and its
18:50
impact on our world never really stops
18:53
it's a lifelong journey you know there
18:55
are still so many Mysteries to unravel
18:57
so many connections to Discover right
19:00
and every new insight into language
19:02
gives us you know a deeper understanding
19:04
of ourselves our history and our place
19:06
in the world it's a reminder that
19:08
language is more than just a means of
19:10
communication right it is it's a
19:12
reflection of who we are where we come
19:14
from yeah and what we believe in it's a
19:16
source of creativity Innovation and
19:18
connection and it's something we should
19:19
all cherish and explore well said thank
19:22
you for for guiding us through this
19:24
fascinating world of linguistic
19:26
discovery of course I've learned a lot
19:28
today I'm glad to hear that it's been my
19:29
pleasure and I hope our listeners have
19:31
been inspired to you know delve deeper
19:34
into the world of language who knows
19:36
what linguistic triggers they might
19:38
uncover exactly and if any of our
19:40
listeners are you know feeling inspired
19:43
to continue their exploration I highly
19:45
recommend checking out the full article
19:48
from lingal li.com that we've been
19:49
discussing today okay you know it's
19:51
packed with even more fascinating
19:53
insights into the Indo-European language
19:55
family and for those who really want to
19:58
dive deep right consider picking up a
20:00
book on historical Linguistics or even
20:02
start to learn a new Indo-European
20:04
language yeah that's a great idea the
20:06
more you explore the more you'll realize
20:09
just how amazing and complex language
20:12
really is I agree so to wrap things up
20:15
we just want to thank everyone for
20:16
joining us on this deep dive into the
20:18
world of Indo-European languages we hope
20:20
you enjoyed the journey as much as we
20:21
have until next time keep listening keep
20:24
learning and keep exploring the
20:26
fascinating world of language that's a
20:28
perfect note to end on goodbye everyone
20:31
and happy exploring