I tried to make the discussion question, the open-ended questions and the further information prompt students to think about more generally, and to perhaps do some research. There is considerable controversy about the origins of Indo-European, but almost all the language experts place the homeland in Russia/Ukraine. Archaeologists and biologists tend to favor the Anatolian (=Turkey homeland) hypothesis.

 

When we talk about ‘’, we often think of it as a single language. But what do the dialects spoken in dozens of countries around the world have in common with each other, or with the writings of Chaucer? Claire Bowern traces the language from the present day back to its ancient roots, showing how English has evolved through generations of speakers.

 

There is still a great deal of debate about Indo-European, most importantly about the location of the homeland. To read more about this debate, there are classic books…

 

provides details, along with many clips and resources. At this site, scroll down to learn how many of the current languages on Earth are expected to be endangered by the turn of the century! If you are interested in seeing which other languages are related to English,