European Languages Day: European languages that are closest to Sanskrit
Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language, maintains a special position in the linguistic fabric of the world, but it's exciting to learn that there are European languages that are closely related to Sanskrit. These linguistic relatives provide fascinating insights into how different cultures are connected and have a common ancestor. On European Day of Languages, let us explore Sankskrit's association with European languages.
Lithuanian
It is a Baltic language that is a part of the Balto-Slavic family of Indo-European languages. One of the official languages of the European Union, this language is spoken in Lithuania. The Sanskrit language of ancient India has many similar characteristics to the Lithuanian. For instance, eye is "ákṣi" in Sanksrit and "akis" in Lithuanian. Similarly, tooth is "dánta" in both languages.
Latin
Latin, an ancient Indo-European language, is a member of the Italic branch within the Indo-European language family. It later spread throughout the Roman Empire and became the primary language there. Latin and Sanskrit share a common ancestor, making Latin one of the earliest Proto-Indo-European languages. An example of a similar word is "mater" (Latin for mother) and "mātṛ" (Sanskrit for mother).
Greek
Ancient Greek, particularly its classical form, is another language closely related to Sanskrit. Greek and Sanskrit share a reconstructed language known as Proto-Indo-European as their shared ancestor. There are many words in the Greek and Sanskrit vocabularies that are similar because of their shared linguistic history. For example, a boat is "nau" in Sanskrit and "naus" in Greek.
German
Both languages feature a diverse range of sounds, some of which are vowel and consonant combinations that are absent in English. Additionally, both Sanskrit and German feature a system of accented stress where some syllables are spoken with more emphasis than others. Words like 'apfel' (apple) is derived from Sanskrit's "phala" meaning fruit. Similarly 'vater' (father) is derived from Sanskrit word 'pitar' (father).
Russian
Russian and Sanskrit both belong to the Indo-European language family, a vast linguistic group that includes Slavic, Germanic, Indo-Iranian, Celtic, Hellenic, and several other extinct languages throughout Eurasia. This shared linguistic history is the primary reason for many similarities between the two languages. For instance, the word for door is "dvara" in Sanskrit and "dver" in Russian.
