Laura Spinney

English is a language that is spoken by a dazzling array of people of different ethnicities and cultures. So there's clearly no one-to-one mapping of language, culture, and genetics. And that's why it's complicated and a very contentious point and discussed for over 200 years to say that there was a birthplace for these languages. We have to be clear what we're talking about.

It's not one people, one place. It's probably a variety of people speaking this one language.

It's not one people, one place. It's probably a variety of people speaking this one language.

It's not one people, one place. It's probably a variety of people speaking this one language.

It's a really important question because, of course, we don't know what those people call their own languages. The naming of these languages is complicated. People don't agree. I have used in my book Proto-Indo-European to refer to the language that gave rise to all the modern Indo-European languages.

It's a really important question because, of course, we don't know what those people call their own languages. The naming of these languages is complicated. People don't agree. I have used in my book Proto-Indo-European to refer to the language that gave rise to all the modern Indo-European languages.

It's a really important question because, of course, we don't know what those people call their own languages. The naming of these languages is complicated. People don't agree. I have used in my book Proto-Indo-European to refer to the language that gave rise to all the modern Indo-European languages.

because that is the name given to the one that most is known about, that has been most reconstructed and so on. But we know that there were Indo-European languages before that, because we have to explain the link between that language and, for example, the languages spoken in what is now Turkey, the Anatolian branch.

because that is the name given to the one that most is known about, that has been most reconstructed and so on. But we know that there were Indo-European languages before that, because we have to explain the link between that language and, for example, the languages spoken in what is now Turkey, the Anatolian branch.

because that is the name given to the one that most is known about, that has been most reconstructed and so on. But we know that there were Indo-European languages before that, because we have to explain the link between that language and, for example, the languages spoken in what is now Turkey, the Anatolian branch.

And the only way we can do that is by postulating an older ancestor spoken at the time of Varna.

And the only way we can do that is by postulating an older ancestor spoken at the time of Varna.

And the only way we can do that is by postulating an older ancestor spoken at the time of Varna.

Yes. The first thing to say is that, let's start with the assumption that we know people were speaking before writing, okay? So they had languages. And we can see that these languages are related. And we know that languages change over time because that's our lived experience.

Yes. The first thing to say is that, let's start with the assumption that we know people were speaking before writing, okay? So they had languages. And we can see that these languages are related. And we know that languages change over time because that's our lived experience.

Yes. The first thing to say is that, let's start with the assumption that we know people were speaking before writing, okay? So they had languages. And we can see that these languages are related. And we know that languages change over time because that's our lived experience.

So what linguists do is they try to learn about languages that are no longer spoken, dead languages, including languages that were never written down. by comparing their living descendants, not just their living descendants, but also, for example, dead languages that we know about because they did post-date writing. So we have written records for them.

So what linguists do is they try to learn about languages that are no longer spoken, dead languages, including languages that were never written down. by comparing their living descendants, not just their living descendants, but also, for example, dead languages that we know about because they did post-date writing. So we have written records for them.

So what linguists do is they try to learn about languages that are no longer spoken, dead languages, including languages that were never written down. by comparing their living descendants, not just their living descendants, but also, for example, dead languages that we know about because they did post-date writing. So we have written records for them.

So that would be languages like Sanskrit, Latin, ancient Greek, which are no longer spoken, but they were written. So we know they were spoken at some point.