The Language Tree


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Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the common ancestor of hundreds of related languages and dialects spoken in Europe, northern Indian subcontinent, Iranian plateau and most of Central Asia. Though its existence is accepted by most linguists, they couldn't decide on exactly when PIE was spoken (some said in the Early to Middle Bronze Age whereas others placed it as early as the Late Stone Age).

This neat "language tree," illustrates the evolution of modern languages from PIE. What's even neater is that PIE is supposed to be a just one branch in an even larger language tree.


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I have a paper copy of this diagram and the heading reads "The Indo-European Language Family (449 languages)"

I think, therefore, Portugese will find itself quite happily in one of the many smaller twigs.
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Yeah like Phil said... the reality is way more complex.
English inherits from many of those and even at it's core... it takes a lot from Old and Modern French. France itself was a vast melting pot, took from many sources... and became the original "Lingua franca" and in return influenced those languages back. Much like modern English today.
English's core comes from Germanic roots but much of the vocabulary is from old French, when not directly Latin.
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