The
Carian language is an extinct language of the
Luwian subgroup of the
Anatolian branch of the
Indo-European language family. The Carian language was spoken in
Caria, a region of western
Anatolia between the ancient regions of
Lycia and
Lydia, by the
Carians, a name possibly first mentioned in
Hittite sources. Prior to the late 20th century CE the language remained a total mystery even though many characters of the script appeared to be from the
Greek alphabet. Using Greek
phonetic values of letters investigators of the 19th and 20th centuries were unable to make headway and classified the language as non-
Indo-European. Speculations multiplied, none very substantial. Progress finally came as a result of rejecting the presumption of Greek phonetic values.