Yes, Sanskrit is indeed an Indo-European language! It belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European family, which also includes languages like Hindi, Punjabi, and Bengali. This means that Sanskrit shares a common ancestor with many European languages, such as English, French, German, and Russian.
Image of map showing the IndoEuropean language familyOpens in a new window
en.wikipedia.org
map showing the IndoEuropean language family
The relationship between Sanskrit and these European languages can be seen in their vocabulary, grammar, and sound systems. For example, the word for “father” in Sanskrit is “pita,” which is related to the Latin “pater” and the English “father.” Similarly, the Sanskrit word for “brother” is “bhrata,” which is related to the Greek “phrater” and the English “brother.”
Copy of the Heart Sutra(Unknown (Public Domain))
Even the grammatical structures of these languages show similarities. For instance, all of them use a subject-verb-object sentence order, and they all have similar ways of forming plurals and conjugating verbs.
Of course, there are also significant differences between Sanskrit and European languages. After all, they have been separated for thousands of years and have evolved in very different ways. But the underlying similarities are still there, and they provide strong evidence that Sanskrit is indeed an Indo-European language.
The discovery of the relationship between Sanskrit and European languages in the 18th century was a major breakthrough in linguistics. It helped to revolutionize our understanding of language history and provided new insights into the cultures of the Indo-European peoples.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Indo-European language family, there are many resources available online and in libraries. You can also find courses on the topic at many universities.