Indo-European language family spans from Sanskrit to Germanic languages. The term 'Aryan' historically refers to Indo-Aryan/Indo-Germanic/Indo-European peoples who brought Sanskrit and Vedic culture to India Indo-European languages include: Indo-Aryan (Sanskrit, Pali, Hindi, Bengali), Iranian (Avestan, Old Persian, Farsi), Germanic (German, English, Dutch), Romance (Latin, French, Spanish, Portuguese), Slavic (Russian, Ukrainian, Polish), and Baltic languages Lithuanian is considered the living language most similar to ancient Sanskrit
The 'Aryan' term refers to Indo-Iranian peoples who spread Sanskrit and Vedic culture to the Indian subcontinent. Lithuanian is considered among the most conservative living Indo-European languages, preserving archaic features also found in Sanskrit. Indo-European languages span Germanic (English, German) to Romance (Latin, French) to Slavic (Russian, Polish) to Indo-Aryan (Sanskrit, Hindi, Bengali). Iran literally means 'Land of the Aryans.' 'Arya' remains a popular name in Iran, India, and Indonesia today
Key Facts
- The term 'Aryan' historically refers to Indo-Aryan/Indo-Germanic/Indo-European peoples who brought Sanskrit and Vedic culture to India
- Indo-European languages include: Indo-Aryan (Sanskrit, Pali, Hindi, Bengali), Iranian (Avestan, Old Persian, Farsi), Germanic (German, English, Dutch), Romance (Latin, French, Spanish, Portuguese), Slavic (Russian, Ukrainian, Polish), and Baltic languages
- Lithuanian is considered the living language most similar to ancient Sanskrit
- Southeast Asian languages (Thai, Lao, Khmer, Myanmar, Indonesian, Malay) show 'Indianized' influence from Sanskrit and Vedic culture
- Tocharian language was spoken in western China in the Tarim Basin
- Iran means 'Land of the Aryans' and 'Arya' remains a popular name in Iran, India, and Indonesia
- In modern Western linguistics, the term 'Aryan' has been largely replaced by 'Indo-European' or 'Indo-Iranian'
Source: GIANT Skeletons, Songkran & Iranian New Year by SPIRIT in STONE