PIE Day – a book review of Proto by Laura Spinney

I have always been fascinated by words, perhaps not as much as I am fascinated by music, but as a youngster I persuaded teachers to let me study Spanish in addition to the usual French at school and then to add in German as an extracurricular activity. Wot a geek!

I wish I’d had the opportunity to learn Latin and Greek and to get a better handle earlier on of the origins of our language…but…the true origins of the most-spoken languages around the world come from a slice of PIE – the true mother tongue – Proto-Indo European.

In Proto, the latest tome from fellow science writer Laura Spinney, she takes us on an international journey to trace the origins and understand the future of language as it emerged from the linguistic Big Bang of PIE. She recounts the life of PIE, you might say. It’s a gripping read and for word geeks like me an instant joy to pick up subtle connections that may not have been obvious. Barbarians, Barbaras, Babel, babble, and rhubarb…all connected…there are many more.