There are 7097 active languages in the world, and some of these are endangered or have limited speakers. What is the oldest language in the world? It is a fascinating question for everyone to learn about the oldest language and the first spoken word.
Languages play an important role as the civilization pillars on Earth. For ages, languages have given shape to humanity, and it is doing the same even today. Can you imagine a world where human beings do not communicate? It isn’t easy to imagine a silent world.
According to history, spoken languages appeared almost 10,000 years before. Some earliest written proofs are available to determine the oldest language in the world. Remember, there are no concrete proofs about languages; therefore, guesswork is based on the written documents from history.
What is the oldest language in the world? Dead and Alive
Dead language means an extinct language that has no speakers. Some languages are still used without their native community, such as Latin. According to archaeological proofs, the oldest dead dialectal is the Sumerian language. Its oldest written proof is almost 3500 BC old, and it was found in Iraq. Moreover, the artifact is famous as the Kish tablet.
According to evidence, Sumerian can be the oldest or first language in the world. In 2000 BC, Akkadian replaced Sumerian, and it was in use as a formal, literary, sacred, and scientific language till the first century. Some other old, extinct languages are as under:
- Mycenaean Greek (1450 BC): Ancient language of Greek
- Hittite (17th century BC): Hittite language by Anitta
- Elamite (3rd millennium BC): Pictographic script
- Akkadian (3rd mid millennium BC)
- Egyptian (2690 BC): written sentences
- Palaic (16th Century BC): cuneiform tablets of Bronze Hattusa Age
- Hurrian (21st century BC)
Oldest Active Languages
What is the oldest language in the world? There are several thousand-year-old languages in the world that are still alive and exist in different countries.
Sanskrit (3500 years old)
Sanskrit was an ancient, medieval Indian language. It is common in India and was first attested in the second millennium BC. You will find its written record in Rigveda and Vedic Sanskrit choruses. All over the world, there are almost 5 million speakers.
Greek (3400 years old)
The roots of this language are Mycenaean Greek. It is another old language from southern Italy and Greece. Initially, Greek was tested in 1450 BC, and now you can see its 13 million speakers in Modern Greek and Mycenaean Greek. This language has a great place in history and offers rich literature.
Farsi (2500 years old)
Farsi was attested in 522 – 486 BC, and it has 65 million speakers in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Iran, Russia, Afghanistan, and Azerbaijan. Person of Farsi is available in old Persian, such as Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, Bahrain, Armenia, Romania, and Iran.
What is the oldest language in the world? Other old active languages include Italian, Korean, Aramaic, Chinese, Hebrew, Tamil, etc.
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