Proto How One Ancient Language Went Global
Proto How One Ancient Language Went Global by Laura Spinney, published by HarperCollins Publishers Limited on March 13, 2025, explores the profound impact of an ancient language on the modern world. This 352-page book delves into the journey of a proto tongue that, five millennia ago, gave rise to numerous languages spoken today, including English, Icelandic, and Iranic. Spinney investigates how this linguistic evolution unfolded across vast regions, connecting diverse cultures and civilizations.
Readers will find an engaging narrative that traces the paths of ancient peoples, including nomads and monks, as they spread their languages across the globe. Spinney also highlights contemporary efforts by linguists, archaeologists, and geneticists to uncover the history of this lost world. The book presents insights into the interconnectedness of language, history, and human migration, offering a unique perspective on the evolution of communication and its relevance in today’s society.
Official synopsis Publisher
*A FINANCIAL TIMES, GUARDIAN AND TLS BOOK OF THE SUMMER*
‘The fascinating story of ancient words … new revelations await’ The Guardian
‘A magisterial feat’ New Scientist
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One ancient language transformed our world. This is its story.
Star. Stjarna. Stare. Thousands of miles apart, people look up at the night sky and use the same word to describe what they see.
Listen to these English, Icelandic and Iranic words and you can hear echoes of one of the most extraordinary journeys in humanity’s past. All three of these languages – and hundreds more – share a single ancient ancestor.
Five millennia ago, in a mysterious Big Bang of its own, this proto tongue exploded, forming new worlds as it spread east and west. Today, nearly half of humanity speaks an Indo-European language. How did this happen?
In Proto, acclaimed journalist Laura Spinney sets off to find out. With her we travel the length of the steppe, navigating the Caucasus, the Silk Roads and the Hindu Kush. We follow in the footsteps of nomads and monks, Amazon warriors and lion kings – the ancient peoples who spread these tongues far and wide. In the present, Spinney meets the linguists, archaeologists and geneticists racing to recover this lost world. What they have discovered has vital lessons for our modern age, as people and their languages are on the move again.
Proto is a revelatory portrait of world history in its own words.
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