The Linguistic Connection Between Europe and India: Uncovering Origins and Influences

The linguistic ties between Europe and India emerged as a fascinating subject in the 16th century, when European explorers noted resemblances between European and Indian languages. Pioneering linguists like Thomas Stevens and Filippo Sassetti drew attention to the structural and grammatical parallels between these languages.

This comparison was not superficial; it was akin to the deep study of languages like Greek and Latin in Europe. For instance, the devoted study of Sanskrit in India, which spanned several years, bore similarities to European linguistic traditions. The Dutch linguist Marcus Zuerius van Boxhorn, in 1647, was one of the first to theorize about the connection between European and Asian languages, suggesting a common lineage.

This theory gained momentum and contributed to early linguistic studies by observing similarities across a broad range of languages. Benjamin Schultze's observation that Sanskrit numerals closely resemble Latin words served as a striking illustration of this connection, which James Parsons further explored in 1767 through his theory of a protolanguage.

The discovery of an ancient mash-up of languages in South India, where languages like Sanskrit, Greek, and Latin coexisted before diverging, further complicated these linguistic ties. This mix was highlighted by scholars like Gaston-Laurent Coeurdoux, though some of their conclusions were erroneous and influenced by contemporary beliefs and biases.

Sir William Jones, a notable linguist and founder of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, despite making some classification errors influenced by his biblical interpretations, was instrumental in advancing the study of language relationships. His eloquent presentation of the idea of a common linguistic ancestor for Eurasian languages in 1786 was a landmark moment. This ancestor, later termed the Indo-European languages, underscored the profound connection between Sanskrit, Greek, and Latin, suggesting a shared linguistic heritage.

This discovery not only revolutionized the understanding of language development and migration but also provided insights into cultural exchanges and historical connections between seemingly distant civilizations. The realization that languages across Europe and India stemmed from a common source has since been a cornerstone in the study of linguistics and has deepened our comprehension of human history and cultural evolution.