protolanguages
/ˌproʊtoʊˈlæŋɡwɪdʒɪz/
noun
- Plural of protolanguage; multiple hypothetical or early ancestral languages.
- Different protolanguages gave rise to the language families we know today.
- The study compares several protolanguages to find common features.
- Scholars debate how many protolanguages existed in prehistoric times.