Luwic

Luwic refers to a branch of the Anatolian sub-branch of the Indo-European language family. It is named for its best-attested member, Luwian, and includes several other ancient western Anatolian languages. In common classifications, the Luwic group comprises Luwian (Old and Neo-Luwian), Lycian, Lydian, and Carian; some scholars also discuss related varieties such as Milyan and Sidetic, though membership is debated.

Luwic languages were spoken in western and southern Anatolia, in areas corresponding to modern western Turkey, from at least the late second millennium BCE into the first centuries BCE. Luwian provides the most extensive textual evidence, with both cuneiform Old Luwian and later Hieroglyphic Luwian varieties. Lycian, Lydian, and Carian are known from their own scripts or adapted alphabets, with Carian inscriptions written in a distinctive script.

Linguistically, Luwic languages belong to the Anatolian family, a branch of Indo-European. They are generally characterized by agglutinative morphology and a largely subject–object–verb word order, with shared innovations that distinguish them from many other Indo-European groups. They exhibit features that help define the Anatolian lineage, including early developments in verb and nominal forms that set them apart from Hellenic and other surrounding languages.

Today all Luwic languages are extinct. Their inscriptions, dating from the Bronze to Iron Age, are crucial for understanding the history and development of the Anatolian languages and their place within the broader Indo-European family.