Nostratic languages

Nostratic is a hypothetical language macrofamily including many of the language families of northern Eurasia, first proposed in 1903. Though the Nostratic hypothesis once had a measure of support among mainstream linguists, it is now generally considered a fringe theory with very low support. The exact composition of languages families included in Nostrastic varies based on proponent; it typically includes the Kartvelian, Indo-European, and the controversial Ural-Altaic family, as well as the Afroasiatic languages and the hypothetical Elamo-Dravidian languages. The Nostratic hypothesis originated with Holger Pedersen in the early 20th century. The name "Nostratic" was put forth by Pedersen (1903) and is derived from the Latin nostrates "fellow countrymen." The hypothesis was significantly expanded in the 1960s by Soviet linguists, notably Vladislav Illich-Svitych and Aharon Dolgopolsky. The hypothesis has fallen out of favour since the latter half of the 20th century and has limited degrees of acceptance, predominantly among a minority of Russian linguists. Linguists worldwide mostly reject many macrofamily hypotheses, including the Nostratic, with the exception of Dené–Yeniseian languages, which has been met with some degree of acceptance. In Russia, the Nostratic hypothesis is endorsed by a minority of linguists, such as Vladimir Dybo, but is not a generally accepted hypothesis. Some linguists take an agnostic view. Eurasiatic, a similar grouping, was proposed by Joseph Greenberg (2000) and endorsed by Merritt Ruhlen.