6 SANSKRIT AND INDO-EUROPEAN §2. Primitive Indo-European The Indo-Iranian languages which have been briefly out- lined form together one branch of the Indo-European family. The discovery of the historical relationship of 'the members of the Indo-European family was a direct result of the discovery of the Sanskrit language and literature by European scholars towards the close of the eighteenth century. The similarity of the Sanskrit language, both in grammar and vocabulary to the classical languages of Europe is so far-reaching that scholars familiar with Latin and Greek could not fail to be struck by the resemblance. Since up to this time there had existed no clear idea of the real nature of the development of languages and of their relations with each other, the explanation of this unex- pected but quite undeniable affinity could not be provided without a completely new and scientific approach to the study of language. In his famous address to the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1786, Sir William Jones indicated in broad outlines the significance of the new discovery : ' The Sanscrit language, whatever be its antiquity, is of wonderful structure ; more perfect than the Greek, more copious than the Latin, and more exquisitely refined than either ; yet bearing to both of them a stronger affinity both in the roots of verbs and the forms of grammar, than could possibly have been produced by accident ; so strong indeed that no philologer could examine them at all without believing them to have sprung from some common source, which perhaps no longer exists. There is a similar reason though not quite so forcible, for supposing that both the Gothick and the Celtick, though blended with a different idiom, had the same origin with the Sanscrit ; and the old Persian might be added to the same family.' The truth of these remarks has been adequately demon- strated by the subsequent development of the science of Com- parative Philology, which dates from this time. During the past century and a half the languages of the Indo-European family have been the subject of intensive scientific study. The main features of the parent language have been reliably recon- structed, and the historical and prehistorical development of the several branches has been worked out in detail. The methods and principles employed have been subject to pro-
