|
This page has been
visited  times
This page was last updated:
February 04, 2003
|
The group of Indo-European
languages is by far the largest linguistic group in the world.
You may have probably
wondered why are so many English words quite similar phonetically and in
spellings of words to languages from other parts of the world. The same goes for Bangla
words.
The case is true not only
for words, but also grammatical structures. The Indo-European languages
mostly follow similar patterns of sentence-making. One noteworthy
feature is the Compounding of words, which is called Samās in Bangla
and Sanskrit. If you know some German, you might probably encounter
compounded words every once in a while! Also there are the similarities of
placing subjects, objects and verbs in a sentence. The abundant use of
prefixes and suffixes to construct new words is also characteristic of the
Indo-European languages. Compare: Bangla and English.
Anyway, the group of
Indo-European languages extend from Western and Central Europe through the Mediterranean
region, through Near and Middle East, through India, Central Asia, up to the
borders of China. Pretty big region, huh! The reason for this group to
spread is that the Indo-European groups of people frequently migrated from
Central Asia to different parts of the Old World. They conquered Persia,
India, Greece, Italy, Gaul (present France), their language influenced the Hittite, and they
penetrated into Eastern and Central Europe. The Greeks, the Romans, the Persians, and the
ancient Indians
(who are often referred to as Aryans - the Indo-European group that settled
in India) all spoke variants of the same mother tongue.
The following table will
give you an overview of the relationships among the Indo-European languages
and also their evolution through time, and probably will inspire you to do
some more study too!
|
|
Indo-European Languages
Languages and Major Dialects
Note:
Languages marked in Red are dead languages. The others in ancient or medieval
column are those which survive in special use, as in literary composition or
liturgy.
|
BRANCH |
GROUP |
ANCIENT |
MEDIEVAL |
MODERN |
PROVENIENCE |
|
GERMANIC
|
East |
|
Gothic |
|
Eastern Europe |
|
North
|
|
Old
Norse |
Icelandic |
Iceland |
|
Faeroese |
Faeroe Islands |
|
Norwegian |
Norway |
|
Swedish |
Sweden |
|
Danish |
Denmark |
|
West
|
|
Old
High German |
German |
Germany, Switzerland,
Austria |
|
Middle High German |
|
|
Yiddish |
Germany, Eastern Europe |
|
Old
Saxon |
Low German |
Northern Germany |
|
Middle Low German |
|
Middle Dutch |
Dutch |
Netherlands |
|
Afrikaans |
South Africa |
|
Middle Flemish |
Flemish |
Belgium |
|
Old
Frisian |
Frisian |
Netherlands, Germany |
|
Old
English |
English |
England |
|
CELTIC
|
Continental |
Gaulish |
|
|
Gaul |
|
Goidelic |
|
Old
Irish |
Irish Gaelic |
Ireland |
|
Middle Irish |
|
|
Scottish Gaelic |
Scotland |
|
Manx |
Isle of Manx |
|
Brythonic |
|
Old
Welsh |
Welsh |
Wales |
|
Middle Welsh |
|
Old
Cornish |
Cornish |
Cornwall |
|
Middle Breton |
Breton |
Bretagne |
|
ITALIC |
Osco-Umbrian |
Oscan, Sabellian, Umbrian |
|
|
Ancient Italy |
|
Latinian
or
Romance[1] |
Venetic, Faliscan
Lanuvian, Praenestine |
|
|
Ancient Italy |
|
Latin |
|
Portuguese |
Portugal |
|
Spanish |
Spain |
|
Judeo-Spanish |
Mediterranean lands |
|
Catalan |
Spain (Catalonia) |
|
Old
Provençal |
Provençal |
Southern France |
|
Old
French |
French |
France, Belgium,
Switzerland |
|
Middle French |
|
|
Haitian Creole |
Haiti |
|
Italian |
Italy, Switzerland |
|
Rhaeto-Romanic |
Switzerland, Italy |
|
Sardinian |
Sardinia |
|
Dalmatian |
Adriatic Coast |
|
Rumanian |
Romania, Balkans |
|
Scantily recorded and of
uncertain affinities within Indo-European |
Ligurian, Messapian |
|
|
Ancient Italy |
|
Illyrian, Thracian |
Balkans |
|
Phrygian |
Asia Minor |
|
ALBANIAN |
|
|
Albanian |
Albania, Southern Italy |
|
GREEK OR
HELLENIC |
Greek |
Greek |
Greek |
Greece, the Eastern
Mediterranean |
| BALTO-SLAVIC |
Branch:
BALTIC |
|
|
Old
Prussian |
|
East Prussia |
|
|
Lithuanian |
Lithuania |
|
Latvian |
Latvia |
| Branch:
SLAVIC |
South |
|
Old Church Slavonic |
|
|
|
|
Slovene |
Slovenia |
|
Serb |
Serbia |
|
Croatian |
Croatia |
|
Macedonian |
Macedonia |
|
Bulgarian |
Bulgaria |
| West |
|
Old
Czech |
Czech, Slovak |
Czech Republic, Slovakia |
|
|
Polish, Kashubian |
Poland |
|
Wendish,
Polabian |
Germany |
| East |
|
Old Russian |
Russian |
Russia |
|
|
Ukrainian |
Ukraine |
|
Belorussian |
Bielorussia |
| ARMENIAN |
|
Armenian |
Armenian |
Armenia, Asia Minor,
Caucasus |
|
ANATOLIAN |
Hittite, Lydian, Lycian |
|
|
Asia Minor |
|
Luwian |
|
Palaic |
|
Hieroglyphic Hittite |
|
|
|
BRANCH |
|
GROUP |
ANCIENT |
MEDIEVAL |
MODERN |
PROVENIENCE |
|
INDO-IRANIAN |
Branch:
IRANIAN |
West |
Old Persian |
Pahlavi |
|
Persia |
|
|
Persian |
Persian |
Persia (Iran) |
|
|
Kurdish |
Persia, Iraq, Turkey |
|
Baluchi |
Pakistan |
|
Tajiki |
Tajikistan, Central Asia |
|
East |
Avestan |
|
|
Ancient Persia |
|
|
Sogdian |
|
Central Asia (Uzbekistan) |
|
Khotanese |
Central Asia (Uzbekistan) |
|
|
Pashtu |
Afghanistan, Pakistan |
|
Ossetic |
Caucasus |
|
Branch:
INDIC |
Dard |
|
|
Shina, Khowar, Kafiri |
Upper Indus Valley |
|
Kashmiri |
Kashmir |
|
Sanskritic |
Sanskrit, Pali |
|
|
India |
|
Prâkrits |
Prâkrits |
|
|
|
Lahnda |
Western Punjab |
|
Sindhi |
Sind |
|
Punjabi |
Punjab |
|
Rajasthani |
Rajasthan |
|
Gujarati |
Gujarat |
|
Marathi |
Western India |
|
Konkani |
Western India |
| Oriya |
Orissa |
| Bengali |
Bengal |
| Assamese |
Assam |
| Bihari |
Bihar |
|
Hindi |
Northern India |
| Urdu |
Pakistan, India |
| Nepali |
Nepal |
| Sinhalese |
Ceylon |
| Romany |
(Gypsy Language) |
|
TOCHARIAN |
Tocharian A |
|
Central Asia |
|
Tocharian B |
1. Romance is
normally applied to medieval and modern languages; Latinian is normally only to
ancient languages.
|
|
