A mixed branch model of Indo-European language family tree is linguistically plausible

The claim states that a mixed branch model of the Indo-European language family tree is linguistically plausible. Paper [8] explicitly explores the use of hybridization networks (addressing reticulate evolution, language mixing, and word borrowing) for Indo-European languages, concluding that such explicit phylogenetic networks successfully capture these relationships. Paper [1] proposes a 'hybrid hypothesis' reconciling different traditional models. Both papers provide direct methodological and empirical support from computational linguistics, while the remaining retrieved papers are either about unrelated domains (mycology, botany, zoology) or standard phylogenetic tree discussions without contesting reticulate or mixed models. Therefore, the balance of evidence strongly supports the claim.