Knowra Slavic languages Slavic languages The Slavic languages form a branch of the Indo-European language family, traditionally divided into East, West, and South Slavic groups. They include Russian, Polish, Bulgarian, and many other languages.
Proto-Slavic : The reconstructed common ancestor of the Slavic languages, spoken before their historical diversification. It is the source language from which the Slavic branches developed.
First palatalization of Slavic : A Proto-Slavic sound change that altered velar consonants before front vowels. It is one of the sound changes that left shared patterns across Slavic languages.
East Slavic languages : A branch comprising Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, and related varieties. It is one of the three major subdivisions of the Slavic family.
Slavic migrations : The movements of Slavic-speaking populations across central, eastern, and southeastern Europe in the early Middle Ages. These movements help explain the family’s broad geographic distribution.
Indo-European languages : A language family whose branches include Slavic, Germanic, Celtic, and Indo-Iranian languages. Slavic is one branch of this larger family.
Second palatalization of Slavic : A Proto-Slavic change that modified velar consonants after diphthongs and before front vowels. Its outcomes distinguish inherited consonant patterns within the family.
West Slavic languages : A branch comprising Polish, Czech, Slovak, and Sorbian languages. It groups the Slavic languages historically associated with Central Europe.
Cyril and Methodius : Ninth-century Byzantine missionaries who developed a Slavic literary tradition for Christian evangelization. Their work helped establish written Slavic for religious and political life.
Balto-Slavic languages : A proposed Indo-European grouping linking Baltic and Slavic languages through shared historical features. Shared innovations in Baltic and Slavic inform theories about their early relationship.
Slavic metathesis : A set of Slavic sound changes that reordered liquid consonants and adjacent vowels. Different outcomes of this change help characterize East, West, and South Slavic.
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