What is Proto-Indo-European? When and where was it spoken? What does the term ‘proto’ mean?,”- Proto: a reconstruced language; no documents exist – Proto-Indo-European: the language from which many languages in Europe and South Asia emerged- When: based on the expansion and culture from ca 5000 – 3500 B.C.- Where: ->determind on basis of cognates: apple, bear, hazel No: ocean, olive – > northwest of the Caucasus; north of Caspian Sea -> ca. 4000 B.C. began expansion to Balkan and nothern Europe (later to Iran
southern Europe)”