Ethnic groups who share some similarities with Proto-X peoples

[Percivalle]

Sardinian may be the closest existing language to Latin in fact.

Modern Sardinian maybe yes. But in Sardinia other languages were spoken before the Latinisation of the island.

[Sikeliot]

Modern Sardinian maybe yes. But in Sardinia other languages were spoken before the Latinisation of the island.

What would they have been close to today?

[Kelmendasi]

Isn't Romanian closest to Latin, grammaticaly it is apparently? "Romanian
Western Romance languages include Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese, while Romanian is an Eastern Romance language. Grammar: There is a common belief that Romanian is the closest language to Latin, but Romanian is probably only the closest in grammar.12 Apr 2014"

[Brás Garcia de Mascarenhas]

Isn't Romanian closest to Latin, grammaticaly it is apparently? "Romanian
Western Romance languages include Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese, while Romanian is an Eastern Romance language. Grammar: There is a common belief that Romanian is the closest language to Latin, but Romanian is probably only the closest in grammar.12 Apr 2014"

"The island of Sardinia lies of the west coast of Italy, and its inhabitants speak a unique native tongue known as Sardinian. Like Italian, Sardinian is a Romance language, which means that it developed from Latin. However, Sardinian developed separately from the rest of the continental Romance languages, a legacy that bequeathed it a distinct vocabulary, grammar and sound from Italian. In fact, linguistically, Sardinian is in many ways the closest living relative of Latin."

"Of the Romance languages, it is considered one of the closest, if not the closest, to Latin. However, it also incorporates a Pre-Latin (Paleo-Sardinian, also known as Nuragic, and, to a much lesser degree, Punic) substratum, and a Byzantine Greek, Catalan, Spanish and Italian superstratum due to the past political membership of the island, first falling into the Hispanic sphere of influence and later towards the Italian one."

[Rethel]

A propos basque as the oldest language - we do not know.

IF this language is of G2/Farmer provenance, then the most oldest
language would be indoeuropean, cause was in Europe before them.

But even of basque is I-ish tounge, then still can be the oldest living language not.

[Percivalle]

What would they have been close to today?

Paleo-Sardinian has been associated with the Paleohispanic languages (Iberian, proto-Basque), with the Tyrsenian languages (Etruscan, Rhaetian...) and with the ancient Ligurian (likely descended from the proto-Bell-Beakers). Probably all these kind of languages were spoken in Sardinia.

[Sikeliot]

Paleo-Sardinian has been associated with the Paleohispanic languages (Iberian, proto-Basque), with the Tyrsenian languages (Etruscan, Rhaetian...) and with the ancient Ligurian (likely descended from the proto-Bell-Beakers). Probably all these kind of languages were spoken in Sardinia.

Something in this family also was spoken in Lemnos, an Aegean island.

[Taiguaitiaoghyrmmumin]

Paleo-Sardinian has been associated with the Paleohispanic languages (Iberian, proto-Basque), with the Tyrsenian languages (Etruscan, Rhaetian...) and with the ancient Ligurian (likely descended from the proto-Bell-Beakers). Probably all these kind of languages were spoken in Sardinia.

They are called the Balearic people and they likely came in Extremely late in 2000 BC with the introduction of bell beaker culture. The first Earliest people that were recorded were the corsi. Who come from corsica and were likely related to ligurians and Italic peoples. The Ilienses likely predate them as well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histor...ragic_Sardinia


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balares

Archaeologist Giovanni Ugas proposed that they derived from the first wave of the Beaker people who settled in the island in the late Copper age from the Franco-Iberian area and that they were related with the ancient peoples of the Balearic Islands;[2] their name has been connected with that of Bálaro, a chief of the Vettones.[2] According to Ugas, during the Nuragic period the Balares lived in the whole north-western part of the island (Nurra, Anglona, Sassarese); their territory bordered with the Ilienses in the south (Tirso) and with the Corsi in the north-east (Mount Limbara).

[Percivalle]

Something in this family also was spoken in Lemnos, an Aegean island.

Exactly, the Kaminia stele. There is a tendency in some linguists and historians to consider Lemnian as the result of an Etruscan pirate settlement there. There were movements from west to east, followed by movements from east to west. Certainly the Mycenaeans played a major role in creating these movements. And there is also the theory that the Mycenaees hired Italic mercenaries. It's all very fascinating but also very complicated to comprehend it to the full.

[Taiguaitiaoghyrmmumin]

the Tyrsenian languages are not proto basque but ancient Native Etruscan and Ancient neolithic Med. Not Native Iberian. As Iberians are not Lemnos neither. In fact when Hercules went to Iberia He slayed Native Iberian Tribes. Greeks considered them barbarians as well.