The Origin and Dispersal of Indo-European Languages from the Perspectives of Linguistics, Archeology and Genetics

The research on the origin and dispersal of Indo-European languages has gone through nearly a hundred years since it was first proposed. At present, the academic circles mainly focus on the Kurgan hypothesis and Anatolian hypothesis. The research on this topic is abundant yet complex at home and abroad.There is no consensus on its controversial origin and diffusion path. This paper reviews the main hypotheses on the origin and diffusion of Indo-European languages, and compares the research achievements and limitations of scholars from the perspectives of archaeology, linguistics and genetics. We infer the Indo-European languages originated in a region from the south of the Caucasus Mountains to Anatolia, then spread to the Eastern Steppe by early European farmers, and the nomads associated with Yamnaya culture in the Eastern Steppe in early and middle Bronze Age spread the languages to Europe, Northwest China (Tocharian) and South Asia.