PreSlavic
PreSlavic, or pre-Slavic, is an informal term used in some discussions of Slavic linguistics to denote the linguistic stage that would precede Proto-Slavic, the reconstructed ancestor of all Slavic languages. In mainstream linguistics, Proto-Slavic is treated as the earliest well-defined Slavic stage, and there is no broadly accepted, independently verifiable reconstruction of a distinct pre-Slavic language. Consequently, pre-Slavic is not a clearly defined linguistic entity in the same sense as Proto-Indo-European or Proto-Slavic.
Linguistic evidence for any pre-Slavic stage is indirect, drawing on comparisons with other Indo-European branches, older
Chronology and homeland debates focus on Proto-Slavic rather than a separate pre-Slavic language. Proto-Slavic is generally
In summary, pre-Slavic is a nonstandard, informal label for hypothetical antecedents to Proto-Slavic, used mainly to