Definition

Noun: 1. A proposed major language family: "Indo-Hittite" is a theoretical grouping that places the Anatolian languages (which include Hittite, the earliest attested Indo-European language) as a sister branch to all other Indo-European languages, rather than as a descendant of Proto-Indo-European. This hypothesis suggests Anatolian split off from the common ancestor before the Proto-Indo-European stage.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The Indo-Hittite hypothesis challenges the traditional model of Proto-Indo-European as the single common ancestor.
  • Some linguists argue that the evidence supports an Indo-Hittite family structure.
  • The term Indo-Hittite refers to the proposed ancestral language from which both Proto-Anatolian and Proto-Indo-European later derived.

Advanced Usage

• In academic debate: The term is used almost exclusively in historical linguistics to discuss alternative models of the Indo-European language family's development. It is not a consensus view but a significant scholarly proposal.
  • The conference featured a lively debate on the merits of the Indo-Hittite theory versus the standard model.

Variants and Related Words

• Anatolian (adj/n): Relating to or denoting the branch of languages, including Hittite, spoken in ancient Anatolia (modern Turkey). This is the key branch central to the Indo-Hittite hypothesis.
• Proto-Indo-European (PIE) (n): The reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family (excluding Anatolian in the Indo-Hittite model).
• Nostratic (n): A much broader and more controversial proposed language family that some scholars suggest might include Indo-Hittite.

Synonyms

• Indo-Anatolian: This is a more recent and increasingly preferred synonym for "Indo-Hittite" among proponents of the theory.

Notes on Meaning

This term has a single, highly specialized meaning within the field of historical linguistics. It does not refer to a specific attested language but to a theoretical construct—a proposed prehistoric language family or a stage in language evolution. It is not used in everyday English.

Noun

1. the family of languages that by 1000 BC were spoken throughout Europe and in parts of southwestern and southern Asia