The Proto-Indo-European Puzzle: Interview with Laura Spinney

from Words for Granted - An etymology and linguistics podcast

In this episode, Ray chats with author Laura Spinney about Proto-Indo-European, the ancestral language of hundreds of modern languages spoken by billions today ranging from Western Europe to India. They explore how linguists reconstruct this unwritten language through comparative methods, what its vocabulary reveals about ancient society, and why its story remains relatively unknown despite its global importance. The conversation highlights the interdisciplinary nature of Indo-European studies—drawing on linguistics, archaeology, and especially recent breakthroughs in ancient DNA—which strongly support a migration of steppe pastoralists around 5,000 years ago as a key driver of language spread. To buy Laura's excellent book Proto, click here.

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This episode is 50 minutes long.

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This episode was published on May 11, 2026.

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