We can still speak and understand each other in a way that even ancient civilizations would find familiar. Here is the list of the oldest languages that were spoken and written in the world. Examples of Old Persian have been found in what is now Iran, Romania, Armenia, Bahrain, Iraq, Turkey and Egypt. Thus, it’s debatable whether the Greek language we speak today is indeed 3400 years old or not. It is spoken officially in Sri Lanka, Singapore, as well as India, but many other populations eagerly learn it because of its value, particularly as literature and art in Tamil help create a very real bridge between the past and modernity. But what is the oldest of them? There are Although many believe Sanskrit to be an extinct language, 24,800 people have registered Sanskrit as their mother tongue at the 2011 census. But for how long? Other than that, though, its use has mostly remained in the past, but numerous scholars promote an idea centering on its revival because of a unique value it possesses. And history says spoken language appeared 10,000 years ago. However, out of such a huge number, roughly a third of these language… Even in the ancient times, it was used as a royal, prestigious language in some of the oldest courts of the world. Unfortunately, the language will probably soon become extinct since there only a few people left in the world who continue to use Coptic as their day-to-day vernacular. First attested: widely debated; proposals range between 5320 BC and the 8th century CE. Our world has existed for more years than any of us can comprehend. While Tamil is far from the oldest languages on our list, it is certainly one of the most widely spoken. It’s so fun, you’ll become addicted. Let’s us talk about the most probable oldest language in the world. Want more? It’s about 1500 years old, and it falls into the Syro-Arabia group. Additionally, Greek is also the language in which many of the fundamental works in astronomy, mathematics, logic and philosophy (the Platonic dialogues and the works of Aristotle) are composed. Furthermore, these languages were surely in use long before they were written in stone or on papyruses. During its approximately 3,100 years of history, Aramaic has served as a language of divine worship and religious study, administration of empires and as the mother tongue of a number of Semitic people from the Near East. Written by Henry Mcdowell, follow him on Twitter. Get Mondly now and speak any language like you never dreamed you would! Chinese has many dialects, and it can be seen as the oldest written language on the continent. Ancient Egypt was a huge and powerful empire, and instead of dying out during the following years, it started undergoing a long process represented by multiple transformations. The oldest living language that has not changed a lot is definitely Arabic. The best part? And here are the top 10 oldest languages in the world. Dating back to at least 3500 BC, the oldest proof of written Sumerian was found in today’s Iraq, on an artifact known as the Kish Tablet. Unlike all the other languages on this list which have fallen in and out of popular usage, Tamil has been constantly sp… Spoken in: Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Russia, Azerbaijan and Afghanistan. Naturally, linguists began to wonder whether we should be dating the Tamil language at least a couple of thousand years before Tolkāppiyam. A Quick Guide to Mastering the Turkish Alphabet. But we should ask Claire and Jamie Fraser to tell us more about this story, shouldn’t we? Our planet is fascinating, and it preserved many things that have appeared more than a millennia ago. People are stubbornly breaching foreign borders, building relationships with the representatives of different countries. This is a list of languages arranged by the approximate dates of the oldest existing texts … 5 minutes a day. Many of them died or were lost, to a point where we can only guess what they entailed and which populations spoke them. Spoken in: mainly China, but also other countries around the world. Your email address will not be published. Tamil language is recognized as the oldest language in the world and it is the oldest language of the Dravidian family. So there is only one way to judge the age of a language: by the earliest proof of its written form. Egyptian language is close to dying out entirely, though it’s impossible to predict what is going to happen in the nearest future. Oldies and goodies: From ancient languages such as Hebrew to Tamil. An official language of Sri Lanka, Singapore and two Indian states, Tamil is still spoken by approximately 70 million peopleacross the world. According to an estimate, the total number of languages in the world … Historically, Aramaic was the language of the Arameans, the Semitic-speaking people from the region between the northern Levant and the northern Tigris valley. Oldest Language in India : Check out Top 10 Oldest Language in India. Languages are some of the most craved commodities at the moment. Useful information: How to find the best medical translator online? Sanskrit was the lingua franca of ancient and medieval India and the first written record of it can be found in Rigveda, a collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. This one of the world's oldest language has been known to exist for a little more than 2500 years (or more than 3000 in accordance with some resources). As a result, it is even a tough call on accepting whatever the answer comes to someone. However, this still remains guesswork, as it’s always possible that archaeologists might discover something new tomorrow. The first indications of this old language appeared on special oracle bones. However, from the 18th century on, the language began to lose ground. Learning Turkish should be considered a personal triumph. Some of the most well-known works like Odyssey were created in Greek. Start looking into the history of your own language to find out what kind of development it underwent and deepen your knowledge even more — there is no such thing as enough when it comes to history! All the truth about translation services. How many hours does it take to learn a new language if you are a native English speaker. The lang… Old Latin refers to the Latin language in the period before 75 BC. It’s older than 2000 years, and what makes it unique is a mystery surrounding its emergence. Oldest Language in the World: The oldest known written language is Sumerian, it dates from at least 3500 BC. Tamil has one of the oldest literary canons of any language in the world, with the earliest piece of Tamil writing, Sangam literature, dating to approximately 300 BCE. Languages began thousands of years ago and determining the oldest language is one of the hottest debate! Start using Mondly for free on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the Mondly app on your iOS or Android device and learn languages fast anytime, anywhere. The most popular being An older form slowly transformed into a newer one, so at this moment, Lithuanian is spoken widely in the EU. The ancestor of Farsi or Persian is Old Persian, a language that is first attested in the inscriptions of Darius I who ruled between 522 and 486 BC. But their timeless metamorphosis makes it hard for historians and linguists to determine what are the oldest languages in the world. Top 5 Oldest Language in the World 1. Unknown to the modern world until the 19th century when Assyriologists began deciphering its cuneiform inscriptions, written Sumerian can be divided into several time periods: Archaic Sumerian (31st–26th century BC), Old or Classical Sumerian (26th–23rd century BC), Neo-Sumerian (23rd–21st century BC), Late Sumerian (20th–18th century BC) and Post-Sumerian (after 1700 BC). Today, there are 6,500 languages in use, but more than 2,000 have very few speakers, at times less than 1,000. If you ever thought about what modern language has been in use the longest and is the oldest, you might be stunned to learn that Lithuanian is a strong contender. And out of this third, many have less than 1,000 speakers remaining. Then, it continued to be used throughout the medieval period as the language of Jewish liturgy, rabbinic literature and poetry. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi once praised Tamil as the oldest language in the world, a sentiment shared by a number of bloggers and sites. It gained most importance when it became the formal language of the Roman Empire. Spoken in: there are 25 countries that have Arabic as an official or co-official language. In this update to the original article, we’ve also taken a close look at Tamil, which some believe should bear the title of world’s oldest language, as well as the world’s oldest known religious texts. Still, there are languages on Earth that have been on people’s lips for thousands of years and continue to exist to this day. Source Egypt is considered to be one of the oldest civilizations in the world, and Egyptian Coptic is the oldest indigenous language of Egypt. Its popularity didn’t diminish much, and there are almost a million individuals who still speak it. How would you feel knowing you are able to speak one of the oldest living languages in the world? If you wonder what is the oldest language in the world’s history, then we have an answer for you. It emerged on the Indian subcontinent, and most philosophical and religious works in India were written in it. Languages have shaped humanity for ages and continue to do so even today. Tamil, a language spoken by about 78 million people and recognized as an official language in Sri Lanka and Singapore, is the only classical language that has survived all the way through to the modern world. Now that you’ve learned everything about our oldest language and other mother tongues that survived till now, you likely appreciate their existence to a bigger extent. Hebrew has also existed for approximately 3000 years, and after being revived several times, it’s now used by about 9 million individuals. It is still used by more than 300 million individuals, with approximately 30 diverse dialects existing. However, since its roots lie in Mycenaean Greek, we can all agree that Greek is indeed one of the oldest living languages in the world. One of the oldest forms […] Sumerian was gradually replaced by Akkadian as a spoken language around 2000 BC, but it continued to be used as a literary, ceremonial, scientific and sacred language until the 1st century AD. Here are some of the oldest languages in the world still spoken today. Today, Latin is taught in higher education courses … All rights reserved. If you ask someone, “What was the first language?”, you might often hear Hebrew in response. The oldest Mayan language is not words but still they are old pictures called glyphs. There are several kinds of Chinese, such as Old, Middle, and Classical ones. Old Arabic is the ancestor of the Arabic language and it is believed that its earliest inscription is a prayer to the three gods of the Transjordanian Canaanite kingdoms dated to the early 1st millennium BC. It has many other neighbors, and we’ll be glad to tell you about them, as well as share more details about the historical and modern role of Tamil. Well, this is your lucky day because Mondly can help you learn 5 of these languages. Sometime in the 2nd century BC, Egyptian began to be written in the Coptic alphabet (an adaptation of the Greek alphabet), so the Coptic language can be considered the latest stage of the Egyptian language. The oldest known written language is Sumerian, and it dates back to at least 3500 BC. It appears that scholars are still not in a position to answer the question of the oldest language in the world. Some scholars believe that in its original form, it existed for more than 3000 years, borrowing many its words and rules from the very first ancient languages. This is an Indo-European language that is about 3000 years old, and it played a huge role in development in Christianity as well as literature. In today's world, around 78 million people in the world speak Tamil. All Romance languages are descended from Latin, and many words based on Latin are found in other modern languages such as English. What are the oldest languages in the world? This language had a presence even around 5000 years ago. The earliest Irish Gaelic writings date to 4th century AD, in the form of the linear Ogham scripts, in a stage of the language known as Primitive Irish. It is also spoken in India and Malaysia. We only know what history tells us. World’s Oldest Language It is not possible to answer exactly how many languages of the world are there. Here are 5 facts about language learning you need to know before you start learning a new language. You will then realise which is the oldest language in the world. The fascinating thing about Hebrew is that it had ceased to be an everyday spoken language somewhere between 200 and 400 AD. To accurately measure the number of languages spoken around the world can turn out to be a task, as these numbers are constantly in flux. Let's know the facts and accept as they are without any bias. In 2015, it was still used by 75 million people, and it is a huge number that signifies its popularity. The earliest Tamil writing is attested in inscriptions and potsherds from the 5th century BC. In fact, more than 55% of ancient inscriptions located on the Indian territory are in this oldest known language and can still be interpreted and understood. Get daily language tips and fun facts by following us on: © 2020 ATi Studios. Followed by Chinese, Arabic, Lithuanian, and more! Let us present a list of ten ancient languages that continue to thrive. Out of these, a third are now endangered. Latin is older than 2000 years, and it has multiple forms that range from Old, Classical, Vulgar, Medieval, to Renaissance, New, as well as contemporary ones. The language itself is rather complex, so if you might need professional Arabic translation services to make contact with its speakers. Current number of speakers: cc. The earliest evidence for the written Sumerian language was the Kish tablet found in Iraq. It also has one of the oldest literary traditions: the earliest examples of Tamil writing, called Sangam literature, date back to 300 BC. Sumerian is older than But even those who have no interest in international contacts are often curious about the linguistic history of the world. Then, Primitive Irish transitioned into Old Irish through the 5th century. 2 million. But some of them lived on. At the same time, Latin thrives in a world of academics, and medical as well as religious sectors apply it in a variety of other ways. Old Chinese is the oldest attested stage of Chinese and the ancestor of all modern varieties of Chinese. There are variations of the Chinese language, many of which are still spoken till this day. However, with the discovery of Tolkāppiyam, the most ancient Tamil grammar text and the oldest surviving work of Tamil literature, scholars began to debate the true age of Tamil. Royal Inscriptions in Aramaic date to the 10th century BC, solidifying its position as one of the oldest languages still The earliest example of the language can be traced back to 300 BC, but its origin is believed to be during 2500 BC or so. It’s also viewed as very complex because of its different structure, so if you’re planning to communicate with people from China, be sure to select the best Chinese translation services provider. However, the most important attestation by far is the Behistun Inscription which is a multilingual inscription that was crucial to the decipherment of cuneiform script because it includes three versions of the same text, written in Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian (a variety of Akkadian). At the same time, Latin thrives in a world of academics, and medical as well as religious sectors apply it in a variety of other During that time, a huge variety of languages appeared. The latter is still applied by some people, but unfortunately, very few of them are left at this point. It is this fact of contemporary It’s unimaginable. The oldest Language in the world is Sanskrit, Tamil and Hebrew that are over 5000 years old! Today's school kids in Arab countries learn literature that was composed many centuries ago without problems. Similar to other in our list of the oldest languages in the world, this one is older than 3000 years, which makes it among the first languages to have been spoken. The age of Chinese exceeds 3000 years. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. It's time to go back in time and find out what is the oldest living language on Earth. They are fluid and in a continuous evolution. Wthe oldest language in the world? If you ask yourself, “What is the oldest spoken language in European countries?”, you might be amazed to find out that it’s Basque. The earliest inscriptions in Tamil Brahmi date back to the 4thcentury BC, although the language is considered to be a lot older (over 2,200 years old). The past feels real when you’re aware of this bridge linking you together. After continuous search for valid proof of the earliest languages, researchers have gathered the top 10 oldest languages in the world. The earliest examples of Chinese are divinatory inscriptions on oracle bones from around 1250 BC, during the late Shang dynasty. Many of these languages are still living and dynamic and are being spoken by various communities of the world till date. But we can never know for sure because no one was there to confirm. They are born, then grow, sometimes mutate and eventually die. Quran has been written in Arabic, which gives this old language a unique god-like shade, with many people considering it sacred. There are 7,097 living languages in the world today. Sanskrit is not the oldest language in the world. (more than 5000 years)Tamil is the only language in the world which is both classical & western in style. When I ask students, “What is their understanding of Sanskrit?” Someone will often say confidently, “Sanskrit is the oldest language in the world.” Though Sanskrit is very old. That is, one that is … The Mayan languages is considered one of the oldest in the world. Imagine a world where beings don’t communicate. Unfortunately, at the moment there is no archaeological evidence to support this claim, so experts stick to the original findings. Its the official language of India, Singapore, Malaysia & Srilanka. Sanskrit is tightly related to Hinduism, which is why it continues to thrive in some small communities even at our times. Let’s find out which of them are the oldest and how they’ve managed to survive after all these centuries. A simplified version emerged in more modern times, and currently, more than a billion people speak it as their mother tongue. Required fields are marked *. About 78 million people still speak Tamil today and it is an official language in Singapore and Sri Lanka. It was spoken in the Pyrenees, a mountain range that sits between such countries as Spain and France, but considering how unrelated it is to these languages, it’s unclear where it even came from. Additionally, it continues to be used as a ceremonial and ritual language in Hinduism and some Buddhist practices. The archaeological proof we have today allows us to state that the oldest dead language in the world is the Sumerian language. Quick Daily Lessons. There are many more creations that preserved old forms of its symbols, from artifacts to literature and art in general. Many of them don’t exist in their original form any longer, but they are still recognizable from before. Greek was also mentioned in the “extinct languages” category because Mycenaean Greek is the precursor of Modern Greek. Very few of them are capable of speaking many languages at once, so they look for services of the best translation companies to help them. Nevertheless, with the rise of Zionism in the 19th century, it was revived as a spoken and literary language, becoming the main language of the Jewish community and subsequently of the State of Israel. Check out our list of the ten oldest languages in the world. A dead language, on the other hand, is “one that is no longer the native language of any community”, even if it is still in use, like Latin. Thn, what does 'Eve' means in Sanskrit ? If, Sanskrit. According to Ethnologue, 7,097 languages are spoken today. If by "the world's oldest language" you mean the earliest recorded written language, most scholars agree that written Sumerian which predates 3,000 bce (very closely followed by Ancient Egyptian, then Elamite, and Akkadian) is Latin was the language of the victors of many wars and battles fought on theItalian peninsula. Buckle up! Work with experts only. 13.4 million people speak it now. Starting the 12th century, Middle Irish began to develop into Modern Irish in Ireland, Scottish Gaelic in Scotland, and into the Manx language in the Isle of Man. Something that could change history as we know it. Icelandic, which has a reputation for being the most conservative known language, is in a similar situation to my own Shakespeare with its 800 year old sagas. There were Old, Middle, and Late Egyptian, and then it grew into Demotic and Coptic variations. So probably no living language is significantly older than 700 years. Counting down from Greek Now all prominent Philosophers and scholars of the world Hebrew dates back to the 10th century BCE and is an ancient Semitic language, which is a branch of the Afro-Asiatic language group. Thus, if you feel like it, you can start learning one right now. Its relevance cannot be overestimated since many Arab regions are taking over our world, which facilitates an exchange of culture and boosts international businesses. TranslationReport could help you choose the best translation sites as it indicates which firms are trustworthy after a thorough evaluation. Mayan language was originated in third century. Tamil Tamil contents can be discovered when we visit a portion of the most seasoned sanctuaries in shake figures, potsherds, and landmarks worked by the chronicled rulers around third Tamil is the second oldest language in the world. Here's everything you need to know about the Turkish alphabet and its... How many hours does it take to learn a new language if you are a native English speaker, how long... Join over 1 million people enjoying our ocassional language tips, special offers and much more. The author of Tolkāppiyam often mentions “they say so” (or something similar) indicating a rich grammar and literature tradition even before him. The earliest known precursor to Hebrew is the Khirbet Qeiyafa inscription in Ancient Hebrew discovered in 2007, near the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh, 30 km from Jerusalem. This language takes a unique place since despite being one of the oldest, it isn’t really spoken today. Funnily, it was one of the reasons why Thomas Harris decided to make his famous character Hannibal Lecter a Lithuanian, someone who’s very thorough about cultural norms and who appreciates older traditions. This language takes a unique place since despite being one of the oldest, it isn’t really spoken today. It was born in Latium, a western Italy region, and lots of modern languages have borrowed vocabulary or its derivations from it. Among its neighbors, Lithuanian is regarded as the most traditional since it preserved many Proto-Indo-European features. The earliest proof that the written Sumerian language existed was the Kish Tablet , which was found in Iraq. The Greek language holds an important place in history thanks to its rich literature that includes epic poems such as Iliad and Odyssey. In fact, some scholars assume During this time, the Irish language absorbed some Latin words and by the 10th century, it evolved once again into Middle Irish, which was spoken throughout Ireland and in Scotland and the Isle of Man. Not surprising, considering it’s originated among the Jews and is closely tied with the language in which the Bible itself has been written. It’s fun, easy and effective! This language has been documented to be spoken as far as during the third century BC, meaning that it’s about 5000 years old. Here’s the problem in … Many civilisations, for example the ancient Egyptian and Babylonian cultures, had language developed to a … It’s undoubtedly the oldest language, which makes the fact of its modern relevance even more surprising. The Chinese language has perhaps the oldest written form of a language in the world going back almost 6,000 years. Below, we look at the world’s oldest written language and several ancient languages that are still in use today. Dating back to at least 3500 BC, the oldest proof of written Sumerian was found in today’s Iraq, on an artifact known as the Kish Tablet. It remains a mystery. Your email address will not be published. Sumerian is older than Egyptian, but it only lasted as a spoken language until around 2000 BC, when it was replaced by another language, called Akkadian. According to a survey, 1863 newspapers are. With Mondly, you’ll get more every day. How does that world look like? As a result of this disagreement, it is even harder to accept which is the oldest surviving language. To date, there are about 6000 languages in the world. Other very old languages that are now extinct are: The same as everything else in the world, languages have a life cycle. The often mis-quoted idea in Yoga is that Sanskrit is the oldest language in the world. It has 32 different dialects. You’ll speak like a native in no time. Thus, given this evidence, Sumerian can also be considered the first language in the world. It seems that academics and professionals are still not entirely sure of how old language is, but general consensus us that it has been with us since around 100 000BC. There are many Languages in India, We Listed out the Languages as Per Thier Age. It is not the oldest language. It’s Tamil, ancient yet still spoken. Current number of speakers: 1.2 million users. Languages have always been fascinating because of the role they played as one of the pillars of civilization on Earth. The archaeological proof we have today allows us to state that the oldest dead language in the world is the Sumerian language. For all we know, it could see a new birth and start flourishing anew. How did the first words our ancestors spoke sound like? 1 Hieroglyphics Dates back to 3,300 BCE, the ancient Egyptians used it as a formal writing system especially for the religious literature to record the most important events on the walls of temples, statues and stones, hieroglyph contains twenty-four signs in the form of symbols and logograms. Or better said – the oldest extinct language as an extinct language is a language that no longer has any speakers. Chinese is the Sumerian language Latin refers to the Latin language in the period before 75 BC something could. 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