What Is The Oldest Language In The World?

Languages are a dynamic system that reflects the cultures and societies of their speakers. They evolve over time because of different reasons like moving to new places, trading with others, winning battles, and change in society. It is believed that the first messages transmitted by humans were probably done by gestures and sounds before developing into more complex systems of spoken and written language.

The study of ancient languages often relies on written records, as these provide tangible evidence of a language's existence. Cuneiform is considered to be the earliest known method of writing and was evolved during 3100 BCE by the Sumerians in Mesopotamia. This has made a break in history because it let people write down their language and culture.

What Makes a Language "Old"?

Everyone considers their language as old just to show some superiority without knowing the facts. But, the question is what makes a language old, let's understand what scholars consider when discussing ancient languages.

• Written Records: Languages with the earliest documented written evidence are often considered the oldest. These written records provide concrete proof of a language's existence and structure.
• Continuous Usage: Some languages have remained relatively unchanged and continuously spoken for thousands of years, making them linguistic living fossils.
• Linguistic Complexity: The sophistication of grammar, vocabulary, and communication structures also play a crucial role in determining a language's age and development.

When discussions about the oldest languages arise, it is impossible to leave Sanskrit out of the conversation. This ancient Indian language has been in existence for about as early as 1500 BCE and is widely known by the title 'the mother of all languages' in the Indo-European language family.

Sanskrit isn't simply old- it is stunningly beautiful. The language is highly technical and so precise in terms of syntax and grammar; modern linguists contemplate how refined the language is. These structures are found in the texts written in the Sanskrit language, including Veda, Ramayana, etc. This textual evidence contains ideas about language that were far beyond what people of that time could imagine.

Evidence

• Vedas (a collection of Ancient Hindu religious work) or the Rigveda

While Sanskrit seems to get most of the attention, though; Tamil (part of the Dravidian language family) presents an equally compelling case. As one of the oldest living languages still spoken today, this language boasts a history that may extend back over 5,000 years.

Tamil is mainly spoken in southern India (Tamil Nadu), some sections of Sri Lanka and Singapore as well and is used in daily communication, education, and art.

Evidence

• Tamil Sangam literature

Because of its roots dated around 3200 BCE, the Egyptian language is one of the oldest spoken languages in this world. This language is not young; it has been in use for more than 4,000 years, and this makes language to be the oldest human language ever.

This language evolved through several stages: Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian, Late Egyptian, Demotic, and finally Coptic. In between the evolution of each stage, they represent particular developments in grammar and usage.

Evidence

• Evidence of its longevity includes extensive literary works like the Pyramid Texts and Coffin Texts (showcases its complexity and richness over millennia)
• Hieroglyphs

If we're talking about the absolute oldest traces of human language, we must mention Sumerian. This language has been in existence with written documents dating to about 3100 BCE in a region called Mesopotamia, which is now part of modern-day Iraq. It is interesting to know that Sumerian is special because it doesn't seem to be related to any other languages making it unique.

Sadly, by around 2000 BCE, Sumerian faded from daily conversation but it continued to be used for writing and learning for many years. It had a big impact on later cultures, especially through its rich literature, which includes famous stories like the "Epic of Gilgamesh" and many songs and proverbs.

Evidence

• The earliest examples and evidence of Sumerian writing were found on clay tablets, which are primarily texts and educational materials from the Uruk period.

A language that has been changing over time, Chinese is another answer to which is the oldest language in the world, which has been under development without interruption in the course of human history and has been used for about 6,000 years. Archaeological finds have shown early forms of writing, like the symbols found at the Liangzhu site, which are about 5,000 years old and look similar to today's Chinese characters.

Writing in China is as old as Shang dynasty and the writing that has been found to be more definitive is known as the oracle bones dating 1250 BCE. These writings show a complex way of communicating that has developed over many centuries. The language's continuity is clear in its logographic writing system, where each character stands for a word or idea, connecting ancient and modern Chinese forms closely.

Evidence

• Markings found at the Liangzhu site
• Earliest confirmed written records, known as Oracle bone

Hebrew arose around 1200 BCE and was spoken by ancient Israelites in the region of Canaan. Basically, this language belongs to the Northwest Semitic group of languages and is closely connected to Phoenician and Moabite. The earliest written examples of Hebrew are found in inscriptions and biblical texts, like the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament) which is a major source for its ancient form. It is also known as Biblical Hebrew, which was widely used until about the 3rd century BCE.

After a certain time, Hebrew was spoken by the Jews only, and unfortunately, after some period, it began to be replaced by Aramaic and other languages. Nevertheless, Hebrew remained significant as a ritual and literary language up to modern times among Jewish nations. Yet, it is surprising that the Hebrew language was revived at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries by people like Eliezer Ben-Yehuda and it become a modern spoken and the official language of Israel today. This revival shows how strong and enduring Hebrew has been.

Evidence

• Hebrew Bible

Records show that Greek has been spoken for more than 3,400 years and is another entrant into the oldest language in the world. The first written records of Greek go as far back as 1400 BCE, during the Mycenean civilization, with Linear B syllabic script. This language has gone through different stages; the Ancient Greeks had a plurality of dialects for example the Attic and the Ionic, Koine Greek that emerged in the 4th century BCE became the common language of the Hellenistic world because of the Alexanders' conquest.

Greek's long history is quite impressive. After a period of decline, it came back as Medieval Greek and eventually became Modern Greek by the 15th century. Currently, about 13 million people speak Modern Greek, which still has many features from its ancient forms.

Evidence

• Linear B clay tablet found in Messenia

Besides all those seven languages there are some other languages known as older, let's see what are they:

Basque

The Basque language with its other name Euskara is said to have originated as one of the old languages in Europe and is even older than the appearance of the Indo-European language in Europe. The earliest known Basque writings come from Roman times, but more recent finds, like the Hand of Irulegi inscription from the 1st century BCE, suggest it was used even earlier.

In the past, Euskara was spoken across a much wider area than today. However, invasions and cultural changes caused it to decline in many places. Despite these obstacles, this language has continued through oral traditions and has experienced a revival since the late 20th century. Today, it is an official language alongside Spanish in the Basque Autonomous Community. The first Basque book was printed in 1545, and efforts to standardize the language led to the creation of Euskara Batua in 1968.

Lithuanian

Lithuanian, also called lietuviu kalba, is considered one of the oldest languages still spoken today, mainly because it has kept many old features from the Indo-European language family. It has many old words and grammar rules that remind us of Proto-Indo-European (PIE), the original language from which many modern languages come.

Experts in language say that Lithuanian has a lot of grammar and words that are very similar to those in very old languages like Vedic Sanskrit and Ancient Greek. This makes it very essential to study the history of languages. Although the earliest written records of Lithuanian date back only to the early 16th century, the language's structure and lexicon suggest a lineage that has remained relatively unchanged for millennia, with some estimates placing its roots around 5,000 years ago. This linguistic conservatism is attributed to the historical isolation of the Baltic region, which allowed Lithuanians to maintain many ancient linguistic traits that have been lost in other Indo-European languages.

The title of "oldest language" often sparks debate among linguists and historians due to varying criteria for determining age-whether based on written records or continuous usage. For instance:

• Sumerian vs. Tamil: While Sumerian holds the title of the oldest written language due to its cuneiform inscriptions from 3500 BCE, Tamil is frequently cited as one of the oldest continuously spoken languages with a rich literary tradition dating back over two millennia.
• Sanskrit's Influence: Sanskrit's historical significance cannot be understood; it has profoundly influenced many languages across Asia and remains integral to Hindu culture.