There is an intriguing alternative to an *Etruscan language family in this scenario. Were an Etruscan-speaking upper class to create a *Roman Empire, they might actually find using an indoeuropean Lingua Franca was to their advantage. After all, they were surrounded on all sides by indoeuropean speakers, who shared recognisably similar languages (Italic, Celtic, Greek, Dacian and probably celtiberian and Lusitanian). Maybe their *Vulgar Latin would be based not on Etruscan, but on a pidgin of Oscan or Sabine.