THE ROLE OF THE SILK ROAD ON LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The Silk Road, functioning for more than fifteen centuries, has played an essential role in shaping linguistic landscapes across Eurasia. More than a trade route, it was a vast network of interconnected paths linking China, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, thereby establishing one of the earliest and most influential systems of intercultural communication (Hansen, 2012). Through its economic, cultural, religious, and intellectual exchanges, the Silk Road became a powerful agent in the development, transformation, and spread of languages.