Indo-European Narrative, Essay Example

Overview

Beginnings of Comparative Philology

Relationships are built every day. Every interaction and brush with others that differ from ourselves whether we know it or not results in a transfer of their modus operandi and ours. A driving force for people to explore new countries or take a vacation with their children is to experience someone else’s life. Food, religion, agricultural techniques and other practices are transferred through relationships built by meeting or viewing other cultures. As part of what encapsulates a culture, the written and spoken languages are built partly due to the relationships built between cultures and experiences. Philology is the scientific process of deciphering not only what the word means but also what value, historically, it holds. In comparative philology, studies of sometimes very dissimilar languages and comparing and contrasting their linguistic makeup provide a picture into how the relationships between languages are connected.

The first instance the structured comparative study regarding philology dates back to Dante’s work De vulgari eloquentia. Although many other scholars have varying ideas on origin of languages and the families they are associated with, it is important to note that a relationship was built between people and their origins of their language. Dante believed in the view was that once God punished humanity by giving different groups languages so that they could not share thoughts, ideas or cultures. During the initial study to understand language, the known fact was that there were different languages but how they were established was still a mystery. They key function of philology is connecting the relationships between languages and finding the common linguistic connections that may not be initially obvious. As early as the 12^th century other inferences and documentation revealed that different cultures were blending over cultures and languages. The English and Icelandic cultures were the first known separate cultures that have written text between them. The first known example of a written language, which linked cultures, was that of the English and Iceland people in which phonology was conducted on the documentation and from that study the references between the cultures were described. The benefits of studying this documentation is that it provides a time stamp in history that frames a picture of that time period. The study of language in this instance provides a link between the cultures activities and actions of that time period. Another very interesting speculation on philology’s beginning is due in part to the ideations of Snorri Sturluson. Sturluson’s argument was that all Northern languages descended from languages originating from Troy, modern day Turkey, and transcended north through the dispersion of Trojan families from their native lands.

As early as the 12^th century other inferences and documentation revealed that different cultures were blending over cultures and languages. The first known form of written link between cultures were that of the English and Iceland people in which phonology was conducted on the documentation and references between the cultures were described. The written information provides a time stamp in history to take a picture and help illuminate somewhat dark areas of historical research. Another very interesting speculation on philology’s beginning is due in part to the ideations of Snorri Sturluson. Sturluson’s argument was that all Northern languages descended from languages originating from Troy, modern day Turkey, and transcended north through the dispersion of Trojan families from their native lands.

There are multiple ways languages can have similarities; through chance or coincidence, general and universal features, borrowed pieces or segments or descent from a common ancestor. The beauty of comparative philology is that by taking a historical view into the inner workings of the languages and their relationships, the researcher can use multiple types of methodology to formulate the relationship between cultures with a central focus on language.

In reference to archaeology a certain sense of adventure and discovery flashes through the mind. Discovering something that has not been seen for thousands of years or that completes the link between the known and the unknown for all humanity to enjoy. The linguistic archeology provides just that insight and exhilaration when discovering previously unknown links between cultures, languages and globally disparate regions. As early as 1786, William Jones hypothesized there was a possibility of a language that would come to be known as Indo-European (Poser 1992). This theory is based on the fact that languages stretching from Iceland to Indian show many similarities in form, fit and function. The hypothesis goes on to state that the similarities are so astounding that all of the languages with these similarities spawned from the same native language. Jones also understood that that the evolution of language, while creating new and different languages, would fully consume the root language until it no longer existed.

The three languages originally studied by philologists looking to better understand the context and meanings of ancient text. These three languages that are focused on are Sanskrit, Latina and Greek. These languages when studied for linguistics are called classical philology. In classical philology the words and phrases are studied in such a way as to interpret the writings in only the context of the ancient culture without modern influences on the definitions. The philologist must place themselves in the original context and mindset as the text was written and try to receive the work as the author intended. These languages are important because in reference to William Jones assumptions and studies all three came from a “mother” language. And this mother language over time and lack of historical documentation has been lost. Daughter languages, although different externally, are fundamentally similar. The cultures associated with the daughter languages ultimately became the Indo-European culture. The importance of the parent-child relationship of the languages is that function the relationship has in building the connections between languages, cultures and the ultimately the meanings of the ancient texts.

The discovery of the daughter languages and their similarities provided much needed insight and guidance to anthropologists of not only philology but across the board in scientific communities in the 19^th century. The concept that a common language which is referenced as the “Mother’ language, also Proto-Indo-European, shows a common and historically significant culture. Throughout studies by anthropologists a common element in cultural unity is based on language. Once this discovery was made the flood gates opened scientifically and researchers began to search for other similarities amount other cultures and found remarkable instances of commonality. The cultures across the Indo-European range of cultures vary in religion, family structure, survival and thriving capabilities. Although they vary in many aspects there is also a common structure among them. One of the most interesting and significant factors in the discovery of the common language base was not only the common structure and origin but as the cultures grew and moved throughout the globe, their adaptability to survive and thrive.

In the early existence of the Indo-European cultures, migration across the Eurasian continent was prominent. As large groups of migrants traveled through the lands they encountered other cultures. Through most of these encounters there were opportunities for assimilation, transference or replacements of the joining cultures. Although this was a major factor in understanding how the languages of Indo-Europeans were transferred it is also important to note that through these migrations entire civilizations and cultures were exterminated or conquered. This did not make for an easy transition for the native cultures nor the migrating Indo-Europeans. Dramatic change and most likely violent interactions between the groups occurred. From historical references, as these cultures invaded other areas of Eurasia their goal was not to integrate into the existing society but to forcefully assimilate their culture into the area they found at all costs to the existing culture. It was fairly common for indigenous people to have little or no chance of survival.

Important things to know about Indo-European and the shift into Germanic

Northern Europe was a major focal point for Indo-Europeans to settle. In this region there was a distinct change between the evolution and changes of the language. The Common Germanic variant of language came to fruition. There was a divide among major languages, Indo-European languages broke down into Latin and Greek, as well as some other languages, with very distinct similarities. The Germanic language differed vastly from Latin and Greek in that there were greater divides among the derivations of the language. These differences would foreshadow the great divides in political and cultural composition of today’s societies which formed from the Celtic, Germanic and Scandinavian languages.

From examining the shift in the Germanic language, there was a revelation regarding lineage and research of languages. The Consonant shift showed that even if a Germanic word compared to that of another Indo-European language did not visibly look the same there could still be some congruency between the languages. When the basis of common Germanic language separated into East, West and Scandinavian languages the consonants shifted their purpose and focus. Showing the similarities between languages and tracing their origins back allow a full perspective and inside view of how cultures integrated, assimilated or decimated their way into modern society. Comparative philology is the methods in which we can build the relationships of culture through language. This, in conjunction with other scientific research, can help provide the overall historical view of ancient cultures.

References

USU 1320. History and Civilization. Section 7 The Indo-Eurpeans and Historical Linguistics. 25 Feb. 2012. < http://www.usu.edu/markdamen/1320Hist&Civ/chapters/07IE.htm>

Kemmer, S. Words in English. 25 Feb. 2012. http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~kemmer/Words04/history/index.html

Language Samples Project. Varieties of English. 25 Feb. 2012. <http://www.ic.arizona.edu/~lsp/index.html>

Poser, W. (1992). Indo-European Practice and Historical Methodology. Retrieved from http://www.billposer.org/Papers/iephm.pdf