The History of English Podcast

Episode 2: The Indo-European Discovery

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Jun 25, 2012
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INSIGHT

Proto-Indo-European Roots

  • English evolved from an ancient common language called Proto-Indo-European spoken thousands of years ago.
  • Many European languages, including English, share roots from this ancient language source.
INSIGHT

English Word Dual Origins

  • Many English words have parallel roots from Germanic and Latin origins stemming from the same Proto-Indo-European base.
  • This dual lineage explains English's extensive vocabulary and multiple synonyms for basic words like 'father'.
INSIGHT

Sound Shifts in Indo-European

  • The Latin word 'ped' and English 'foot' share a common ancestor, illustrating sound shifts between languages.
  • The p-to-f sound change is a key linguistic shift distinguishing Germanic languages like English from Latin.
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