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The Phrygian language (/ ˈ f r ɪ dʒ i ə n /) was the Indo-European language of the Phrygians, spoken in Anatolia (modern Turkey), during classical antiquity (c. 8th century BCE to 5th century CE). Phrygian ethno-linguistic homogeneity is debatable.
Phrygian has a special status in that it is an Indo-European language found in Anatolia that does not share the defining features of the so-called Anatolian languages, a group of Hittite, Luwian, and related languages; presumably, its presence in the region reflects a later population movement.
The Phrygian language is a member of the Indo-European linguistic family with its exact position within it having been debated due to the fragmentary nature of its evidence. Though from what is available it is evident that Phrygian shares important features with Greek and Armenian .
A variety of Paleo-Balkan languages besides Greek are spoken in Southern Europe, including Thracian, Dacian and Illyrian, and in Anatolia ( Phrygian ). Development of Prakrits across the northern Indian subcontinent, as well as migration of Indo-Aryan speakers to Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
Over the last three decades our knowledge of the Phrygian language has increased im-mensely, especially in regard to historical linguistics. In the light of this new information, it is worth reconsidering previous theories about its genetical position within the Indo-European family.
- Bartomeu Obrador-Cursach
- 2019
Phrygian. Phrygian was an Indo-European language related to Dacian and Thracian and belonging to the Paleo-Balkan branch of languages. It was spoken in Central Asia Minor until about the 5th century AD. The earliest known inscriptions in Phyrgian date from the 8th century BC and were written in an alphabet derived from Phoenician.
Generally it is agreed, that Phrygian, belongs to the centum group of Indo-European. It has been influenced by the Anatolian IE languages, sharing several isoglosses like the -s ending for the third-person singular of the preterite verb and the single endings for names of both men and women.
