Did our ancestors really speak like this?

Published by

the word explorer

June 13, 2014

A lot of linguists believe that Proto-Indo-European was the ursprache* of Indo-European languages, but we actually don’t know what Proto-Indo-European sounded like. In the link below, a linguist at the University of Kentucky, Dr. Andrew Byrd, gives his best approximation of what our ancestors may have spoken thousands of years ago. When I listened to it, I was amazed that someone could recreate the language! Let me know what you think!

http://www.archaeology.org/exclusives/articles/1302-proto-indo-european-schleichers-fable

*I wrote about the word ursprache here: https://thewordexplorer.wordpress.com/?s=Ursprache

4 responses to “Did our ancestors really speak like this?”

Mrs. P.

June 21, 2014

This is so interesting! I’ve never heard anyone attempt to pronounce Indo-European before, and I’m glad to know about this recording.

Reply
1. The Word Explorer
  
  June 22, 2014
  
  Dr. Byrd was the pronouncer at the UK Regional Spelling Bee. At the time, I had no idea that he was an expert on Proto- Indo-European! I hope to talk to him next year about his research, if I see him again.
  
  Reply
Andrew Byrd

January 20, 2015

Thanks for the post! I’ll indeed be there at this year’s spelling bee. Good luck!

Reply
1. The Word Explorer
  
  January 23, 2015
  
  You are very welcome! I greatly enjoyed the recording of you speaking PIE.
  
  Reply

I’m Tara!

My name is Tara and I am a recent graduate of Duke University, with dual degrees in cultural anthropology and political science, and a minor in linguistics. Twelve years ago, I started this blog to share my love of words with others and teach people about the intricacies of etymology and words across our beloved English language!

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