TOCHARIAN Meaning and
Definition
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Tocharian refers to a group of extinct Indo-European languages that were spoken in the Tarim Basin of present-day northwestern China in what is now the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The term also encompasses the people who spoke these languages, who are believed to have migrated to the region from the west during the 2nd millennium BCE. The Tocharian languages, known as Tocharian A and Tocharian B, date back to roughly the 7th to 10th centuries CE.
The Tocharian languages were discovered in the early 20th century by European archaeologists and scholars. They are notable for being the easternmost branch of the Indo-European language family. Tocharian A and Tocharian B are distinct from each other in terms of grammar and vocabulary, although they share many common features.
The study of Tocharian languages plays a crucial role in understanding the linguistic history and development of Indo-European languages. By examining the Tocharian texts, linguists have been able to make comparisons and draw connections to other Indo-European languages, aiding in their reconstruction and interpretation.
The extinction of the Tocharian languages is believed to have been caused by various factors, including the assimilation of the Tocharian-speaking population into other ethnic groups and the decline of the Silk Road trade route in the region. Despite their limited historical documentation, the Tocharian languages are an important source of information for researchers studying ancient Central Asian cultures and the spread of Indo-European languages.
Common Misspellings for TOCHARIAN
- rocharian
- focharian
- gocharian
- yocharian
- 6ocharian
- 5ocharian
- ticharian
- tkcharian
- tlcharian
- tpcharian
- t0charian
- t9charian
- toxharian
- tovharian
- tofharian
- todharian
- tocgarian
- tocbarian
- tocnarian
- tochaarian
Etymology of TOCHARIAN
The word "Tocharian" comes from the name of an ancient Indo-European language family, known as the Tocharian languages. The Tocharian languages were spoken in the Tarim Basin of present-day Xinjiang, China, during the first millennium AD.
The term "Tocharian" was derived from the name of the region where the languages were found, which was referred to as "Tocharistan" or "Tokharistan" by early medieval writers. The exact origins of the name "Tocharistan" are uncertain, but it is believed to have been derived from the name "Tokharoi" or "Tocharoi", which was used by ancient Greek and Roman authors to designate the inhabitants of Central Asian regions.
The Tocharian people, who spoke the Tocharian languages, were Indo-European and likely related to the ancient Indo-Aryan peoples.
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