The Aryans are considered to represent a linguistic group speaking which of the following groups of languages?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The correct answer is option 4 i.e. Indo-European.
The Aryans are associated with the Indo-European family of languages, one of the world's largest and most widespread language groups. Within this family, they specifically spoke an early form of Indo-Aryan, which later evolved into Sanskrit, the language of the Vedas, India's oldest sacred texts. The Indo-European language family includes languages spoken across Europe and parts of Asia, such as Latin, Greek, Persian, and the modern languages of northern India. The spread of Indo-European languages by the Aryans played a significant role in shaping the linguistic and cultural foundations of ancient India, especially during the Vedic period.
Other Options:
Austronesian – This language family is spoken in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, and is unrelated to Aryan or Indian subcontinent languages.
Afro-Asiatic – Spoken in parts of North Africa and the Middle East (e.g., Arabic, Hebrew), it has no historical or linguistic link to the Aryans.
Niger-Congo – A major language family of Sub-Saharan Africa, including Swahili and Yoruba, it is not connected to the Aryan linguistic group.