Sanskrit became known to Europeans toward the end of the 18th century.  In 1786, an English scholar, Sir William Jones, announced that Sanskrit, Greek, and Latin “have sprung from a common source which, perhaps, no longer exists”.  Jones was right, but it was not until the following century that detailed evidence was presented.  The evidence which came to light showed a connection between not only Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit, but many other languages, like Germanic and Celtic.  This family of language has become known as “Indo-European”.  The origin of the Indo-European languages has been traced back to a race of settlers in Iran and Northern India known as Aryans.  Although there is no written history of these Aryan settlers, it is believed that they emerged from a country north of the Caspian Sea and migrated into the Middle East.  This is thought to have taken place in the first half of the second millennium B.C.  With these nomadic settlers came a language, this language was known as Aryan.  The Aryans, as well as the Aryan language, settled throughout south Asia. It is this settlement and the inevitable  evolution of Aryan which gives us many of the languages today, like the romance languages: French, Italian, Spanish, and Potugues.  Others like Modern English, German, Dutch, and Scandinavian share the same origin.  Today these languages are broken down into different subgroups, but for this paper I will focus  only on the Sanskrit language.  One of these Indo-European language subgroups is known as “Indo-Iranian”.  It is within this group that we find Sanskrit.  Indo-Iranian language makes up the easternmost major branch of the Indo-European language family.  Within this group the language can be further broken down into two more subgroups: Indo-Aryan (or Indic) and Iranian.  Sanskrit falls into the Indo-Aryan classification.  Sanskrit itself has two types of distinctions.  The more archaic is that of the “Veda Sanskrit”.  This form is believed to have existed from 1500-1200 B.C.  It is this form that the Vadas were written in.  The second form of Sanskrit is known as “Classical Sanskrit”.  This form is believed to have began around 500 B.C.  This form arose from the simplification of the language, and also from the attempt to standardize. 

    As mentioned above, the Vedas arose from the archaic period in Sanskrit history.  Veda, defined as a sacred hymn or verse written in archaic Sanskrit.  These hymns grew around the cult of the Soma ritual and sacrifice which personified natural phenomena.  These phenomena were fire, sun, dawn, storms, etc.  It was these early Vedas that provided a vehicle of expression for the Brahmanical society.  Other important literary poetic works have been discovered, these include dramas, narratives, and technical treatises.  Although it is not known for sure, it is believed that Sanskrit was spoken only by those people of upper class.  Evidence that supports this comes from an early drama where high-ranking men spoke Sanskrit while low ranking men, and women use another language.  This shows the existence of at least two languages at the same time.  Further evidence may be the use of Sanskrit today.  “Learned” Hindus currently speak in this Indo-Aryan language known as Sanskrit. 

Encyclopedia Britannica: Micropedia ready reference. (15th ed.).  Chicago vol. 1 (p. 611). 

Encyclopedia Britannica: Micropedia ready reference. (15th ed.).  Chicago vol. 6 (p. 295-96). 

Encyclopedia Britannica: Micropedia ready reference. (15th ed.).  Chicago vol. 10 (p. 422). 

Encyclopedia Britannica: Micropedia ready reference. (15th ed.).  Chicago vol. 12 (p. 289). 

Collier’s Encyclopedia. P.F. Collier, inc. vol. 20 (p. 409-410). 
 

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