Proto-language

A proto-language is an ancient, imagined form of language that linguists believe was spoken by a group of people in the distant past. It’s like a common ancestor from which several related languages have evolved over time. For example, Proto-Indo-European is the ancestor of many modern languages such as English, Spanish, and Hindi. Linguists reconstruct proto-languages by analyzing similarities in vocabulary, grammar, and sounds across different languages, helping us understand how languages develop and relate to each other historically.