How could this language have lasted until 2012?
Impossible. Languages don´t survive intact for so long.
You could easily have descendants though.
Not really, no.Not necessarily, despite its impressive changes over time, Greek language still exists since over 2,000 years ago.
How could this language have lasted until 2012?
to answer your question (instead of just bickering);
I think the only way would be to make sure Rome never rises.
Once Rome became strong the Etruscan's were over, even if they were still around.
Not really, no.
Modern Greek is a different language from Classical Greek, which latter is only used liturgically.
Similarly, Latin has survived only liturgically, ditto for Hebrew.
OTOH, Latin did spawn a dozen child languages, and is important for understanding even English, due to all the Latinate vocabulary.
So... If Etruscan were where a religion was formed that swept the western Med, say, you might at least have it survive as a liturgical language.
If Etruria were able to unify effectively (possibly as a confederation of cities), and engage in colonization, you might get daughter languages surviving 'til today.
Hmmm... A third option might be the Jewish/Parsee route. Become a persecuted minority that nonetheless fulfils a useful role in a larger society, and you might get Etruscan to survive in that smaller sub-community. Again, probably as a liturgical language.
Impossible. Languages don´t survive intact for so long.
You could easily have descendants though.
Alternatively, have the Etruscans Etruscanise the Romans. I understand that the Romans were Etruscan clients for a period. If Etruria could harness the potential of Rome as a bearer of Etruscan linguistic traditions, you might well see a partially Etruscan Rome carrying the language (or elements of it) across Europe.
Moreover, such a Rome would more heavily orient its mythology and traditions to Etruscan sources rather than Greek, making it a more prestigious langauge and culture in general.
Maybe...?
If Etruria were able to unify effectively (possibly as a confederation of cities), and engage in colonization, you might get daughter languages surviving 'til today.
The Etruscans DID Estruscanize Rome. A lot of things we see as Roman or Latin traditions, customs, etc. are based from similar Etruscan traditions.
Alternatively, have the Etruscans Etruscanise the Romans. I understand that the Romans were Etruscan clients for a period. If Etruria could harness the potential of Rome as a bearer of Etruscan linguistic traditions, you might well see a partially Etruscan Rome carrying the language (or elements of it) across Europe.
Moreover, such a Rome would more heavily orient its mythology and traditions to Etruscan sources rather than Greek, making it a more prestigious langauge and culture in general.
Maybe...?
Maybe. It seems that the Etruscans started out with their own, but soon copied the Greeks. As did the Romans, who started out with apparently minor gods (especially agricultural or 'domestic' gods), but moved on as well to Greek gods.Etruscan mythology is as identical to latin mythology as latin mythology was to greeks.
The three Religions were practically identical exept for the names of the gods.
No, the two were completely different languages. Etruscan isn't even Indo-European.Was the Etruscan language all that different from Latin? I would have thought that given the geography of Italy the two languages would have much in common.
I don't know about that. I have read some fairly convincing evidence that Etruscan was closely related to the West-Anatolian languages. Woudhuizen wrote several books on this idea, and assembled a lengthy list of close cognates between Etruscan and West-Anatolian words, including a large number of basic connective words which are unlikely to be loan-words. Beekes presents a similar scenario, available here on pdf.
Additional evidence for this idea can be found in the Lemnos Stele, which is located on the island of Lemnos in the Aegean Sea just off the Anatolian coast, and which contains an inscription in a language closely related to Etruscan.
Not to mention that Herodotus, who lived in a time when West-Anatolian-speakers still lived at various locations on the Greek mainland, recorded accounts by these people that the Etruscans were descended from the Lydians, a West-Anatolian-speaking people.