Proto-Algonquian (commonly abbreviated
PA) is the
proto-language from which the various
Algonquian languages are descended. It is generally estimated to have been spoken around 2,500 to 3,000 years ago, but on the question of where it was spoken, there is less agreement. The Algonquian family, which is a branch of the larger
Algic language family, is usually divided into three subgroups:
Eastern Algonquian, which is a
genetic subgroup, and
Central Algonquian and
Plains Algonquian, both of which are
areal groupings. In the historical linguistics of North America, Proto-Algonquian is one of the best studied, most thoroughly reconstructed proto-languages. It is descended from
Proto-Algic.