Introduction to Comparative Indo-European Linguistics

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/comparative-indo-european-linguistics

Introduction

### Course Review: Introduction to Comparative Indo-European Linguistics **Overview:** If you have ever pondered the rich tapestry of languages across Europe and Asia, particularly how they connect and evolve over time, then the Coursera course "Introduction to Comparative Indo-European Linguistics" is designed just for you. This comprehensive course delves into the Indo-European language family, offering an in-depth exploration of its branches, the historical evolution of languages, and the techniques used for reconstructing ancient languages. As a cornerstone of linguistic study, understanding Indo-European languages provides valuable insights into the roots of many modern languages, including English, German, and Spanish. **Course Structure:** The course is structured into eight engaging modules, each focusing on different aspects of Indo-European linguistics and language reconstruction. Here’s a brief overview of what you can expect: 1. **The Indo-European Language Family**: This introductory week sets the stage by explaining the concept of language families, the historical discovery of the Indo-European family, and a broad overview of the languages included. 2. **Language Change**: You will learn about linguistic concepts essential for understanding language relationships and the nature of language change itself. 3. **Greek and Sanskrit**: Delving into ancient texts, you explore these two pivotal languages, laying the groundwork for reconstructing Proto-Indo-European through their vowels and concepts such as Ablaut. 4. **Iranian and Armenian**: Building on your prior knowledge, this week focuses on ancient Iranian languages and introduces you to important sound laws that shaped these languages. 5. **Balto-Slavic and Italic**: Here, you’ll discover additional branches of the Indo-European family, learning how to reconstruct Proto-Indo-European consonants while gaining insights into the concepts of relative chronology. 6. **Celtic and Germanic**: This segment teaches the evolution of Proto-Indo-European consonants within Celtic and Germanic languages, enriching your understanding of these centum languages. 7. **Anatolian and Tocharian**: Exploring the most recent branches of the Indo-European family, you’ll assess how these languages fit into the broader family tree and tackle complex aspects of the Proto-Indo-European sound system. 8. **Indo-European Culture and Society**: As the course culminates, you will examine what is known about the Proto-Indo-European speakers’ culture, societal structure, and religion—bringing a holistic view to your linguistic education. **Why You Should Enroll:** The "Introduction to Comparative Indo-European Linguistics" course is not just for linguists; it is ideal for anyone with an interest in languages, history, anthropology, or even literature. The course is structured in a way that makes complex linguistic concepts approachable, even for beginners. Here are a few reasons to consider enrolling: - **Expert Instruction**: The course is taught by knowledgeable instructors who provide clarity and insight into complicated topics. - **Comprehensive Content**: You will gain both theoretical knowledge and practical skills in linguistic reconstruction. - **Flexibility**: As an online course on Coursera, you can learn at your own pace, allowing for a more personalized educational experience. - **Engaging Learning Materials**: The course is designed with rich resources, including texts and case studies that make learning interactive and enjoyable. **Conclusion:** "Introduction to Comparative Indo-European Linguistics" is an illuminating journey into the intricacies of language and culture, providing a foundational understanding of one of the most significant language families in human history. Whether you are a student, a language enthusiast, or a professional seeking to expand your knowledge base, this course offers valuable insights and skills that are applicable in various fields. Embark on this intellectual adventure and unlock the secrets of the Indo-European languages!

Syllabus

The Indo-European language family

This week we will introduce the Indo-European language family. We will explain what a language family is and how the Indo-European language family was discovered. We will also provide you with an overview of the languages that belong to the Indo-European family.

During this course, you will not only learn about the oldest languages belonging to the Indo-European language family, but also about linguistic reconstruction. This week starts with an overview of the basic linguistic concepts that you will need to understand when taking this course. If these are new to you, it may be a good idea to print them or write or them down so that you can consult them later on during the course if necessary. After this short introduction to linguistics, you will learn how you can tell whether two languages are related to each other and how language changes.

Ancient Greek and Sanskrit are among the most important languages for the reconstruction of Proto-Indo-European. We will therefore start our journey through the Indo-European language family with these two languages. This week you will learn about the oldest texts in the Ancient Greek and Sanskrit languages. You will also learn about the importance of oral traditions in the history of these texts. We will take the first steps towards reconstructing Proto-Indo-European by studying the vowels of Greek and Sanskrit. We will end this lesson by introducing the concept of Ablaut.

You now know about the oldest Ancient Greek and Sanskrit texts. You also understand how to reconstruct Proto-Indo-European vowels by comparing Greek words to Sanskrit words. This week we will take a look at the oldest Iranian languages: Avestan and Old Persian. You will also expand your knowledge of the evolution of Indo-European vowels when we introduce two sound laws that affected Indic and Iranian languages. At the end of this week's lesson, we will introduce another branch of Indo-European: Armenian.

You are now familiar with the oldest texts in the Greek and Indo-Iranian languages and are able to reconstruct Proto-Indo-European vowels and diphthongs. You understand a number of Indo-Iranian sound laws: Bruggmann's law, Grassmann's law and the palatalization of velars. This week you will learn about three additional branches of Indo-European: Baltic, Slavic and Italic. We will introduce you to the oldest texts in these languages. You will also learn how to reconstruct some Proto-Indo-European consonants: the so-called palatovelars. Finally, we will explain the concept of relative chronology in historical linguistics. Each lesson, you are also learning new linguistic terms. If you come across a technical term of which you don't remember the meaning, you can always consult the overview of linguistic terminology that can be found at the end of lesson 2.

So far, you have learned about six branches of Indo-European, including Baltic, Slavic and Italic. You know what satem- and centum-languages are and are able to reconstruct Proto-Indo-European palatovelar consonants. This week is about the Celtic and Germanic languages. You will learn about the oldest texts in various Celtic and Germanic languages. You will also learn that these are centum languages. We will introduce a new set of Proto-Indo-European consonants: the so-called labiovelars. Finally, we will explain how the Proto-Indo-European consonants evolved in the Germanic languages.

Last week we discussed the Celtic and Germanic languages and the way their consonants evolved. You now know what Grimm's and Verner's laws are and you are able to reconstruct Proto-Indo-European labiovelar consonants. This week you will learn about the most recent addition to the Proto-Indo-European language family: Anatolian and Tocharian. As usual, we will tell you about the oldest texts in these languages. You will also find out what their place in the Indo-European language family is and how you can set up a language family tree. Finally, you will learn about perhaps the most difficult part of the Proto-Indo-European sound system: the so-called laryngeals.

You now know which old sources are used when Indo-European languages are compared to each other. You also know which sounds are reconstructed for Proto-Indo-European and you have the skills to do this yourself. This is the final week of the course. You will learn about Indo-European society and culture: who were the people who spoke Proto-Indo-European? How did they live? What is know about their religion and about the oral texts that they used?