Since the so-called “Ancient DNA Revolution” of the past decade, which has yielded many new insights into the genetic prehistory of Europe and large parts of Asia, it can no longer be doubted that... Show moreSince the so-called “Ancient DNA Revolution” of the past decade, which has yielded many new insights into the genetic prehistory of Europe and large parts of Asia, it can no longer be doubted that the Indo-European languages spoken in Europe and Central and South Asia were brought there from the late fourth millennium BCE onward by population groups from the Pontic–Caspian steppes who had belonged to the archaeologically defined Yamnaya culture.1 We may therefore assume that the population groups bearing the Yamnaya culture can practically be equated with the speakers of Proto-Indo-European, the reconstructed ancestor of the Indo-European languages of Europe and Asia, and that the spread of the Indo-European language family is a direct consequence of these migrations of Yamnaya individuals into Europe and Asia. Show less
After giving a concise overview of all members of the Anatolian language family, this chapter offers an in-depth discussion of the family’s phylolinguistic make-up. It discusses all major... Show moreAfter giving a concise overview of all members of the Anatolian language family, this chapter offers an in-depth discussion of the family’s phylolinguistic make-up. It discusses all major linguistic arguments on the basis of which it can be determined that Anatolian is a single branch within the wider Indo-European language family, as well as the linguistic arguments that can be used for drawing a family tree of Anatolian. It is argued that the first split in the Anatolian branch is between the Hittite branch and a branch that comprises all other Anatolian languages. In the latter branch, first Lydian and then Palaic split off, after which the remaining language develops into Proto-Luwic, the ancestor of the Luwian and Caro-Lycian branches. This phylolinguistic reconstruction of the Anatolian family includes a discussion of the possible dates of all nodes in its tree and of its Proto-Anatolian ancestor language. The chapter also assesses the place of Anatolian within the Indo-European family as a whole on the basis of a discussion of possible closer relationships between Anatolian and other branches of Indo-European, as well as of the Indo-Anatolian hypothesis. Show less
It is debated which language or languages may have been spoken in the northwestern part of Anatolia – including the area where Troy was situated – during the second millennium BCE. This article... Show moreIt is debated which language or languages may have been spoken in the northwestern part of Anatolia – including the area where Troy was situated – during the second millennium BCE. This article will argue that at the end of the Bronze Age (the second half of the second millennium BCE) the eastern part of this region, the land of Māša, was home to speakers of an early version of Lydian, whereas in its western part, the land of Wiluša, the main language was Proto-Tyrsenic, the ancestor of Etruscan. Show less
This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the phonetics and phonology of the Hittite dental stops, which is especially based on a detailed treatment of the usage of the cuneiform signs TA... Show moreThis article provides a comprehensive analysis of the phonetics and phonology of the Hittite dental stops, which is especially based on a detailed treatment of the usage of the cuneiform signs TA and DA in all positions in the word, and in all chronological stages of Hittite. Show less
In this paper, I will discuss the origin of the different nominal accent-ablaut paradigms that can be reconstructed for (late) Proto-Indo-European, and argue that new insights into several... Show moreIn this paper, I will discuss the origin of the different nominal accent-ablaut paradigms that can be reconstructed for (late) Proto-Indo-European, and argue that new insights into several peculiarities of the Hittite nominal case system may have interesting consequences for this topic. In order to do so, it is important that we first have a good understanding of the nature and development of Proto-Indo-European ablaut and its correlation with accent. Show less
