Oldest Languages in the World: Still Widely Used or Lost in Time?
Oldest language in the world has long been of interest. Language is the bridge of human civilization, forming a bridge to our past and defining our cultural identity. Several ancient languages have developed, but many have disappeared. Are you aware of the world’s oldest language? Is Tamil the world’s oldest language? Linguists and historians have had many discussions on the same.
“Hey, are you aware of what the first language of the earth was?” Ravi asked, while turning the pages of an old history book.
Meera replied “Of course! People often say it’s Sanskrit or Tamil, but I’ve also heard about Sumerian and Egyptian”.
In this blog, we will talk about the top 10 oldest languages in the world that are still spoken today, their importance in history, the oldest languages recognized by UNESCO, and their ongoing influence on society today.
“Let’s explore the Top 10 oldest languages in the world together!”
The Oldest Languages in the World
Top 10 Oldest Languages in the World Still Spoken
The top ten oldest languages in the world are listed in the following table, along with their approximate beginning years and current usage:
Is The Tamil Language the Oldest Language In The World?
Being over 2,500 years old in literature and a part of the family of the Dravidian languages, Tamil is among the oldest languages in the world. It is used by over 90.2 million speakers across the globe in comparison to ancient Egyptian languages, which are no longer spoken..
“Wow, Tamil is still widely spoken? It’s amazing!” Ravi said.
Meera said, “Yes! According to popular belief, it is among the world’s oldest and most stable literary traditions.
How Old Are Tamil and Sanskrit Languages?
How Old Is Sanskrit Language Proof?
Evidence in Favor of Sanskrit’s Antiquity:
- Vedic Sanskrit: Emerges from the Vedas (1500–500 BCE), which reveals its ancient roots.
- Oral Tradition: Trustworthy oral transmission of the Vedas supplements meager early written records.
- Historical Objects: Encompasses Ashoka’s inscriptions (3rd century BCE) and Mitanni kingdom records (1400 BCE) containing Sanskrit words.
- Panini’s Grammar: Mention of writing in Sanskrit (“lipi”) goes back to Panini’s time (6th or 4th century BCE).
Counterarguments and Refinements
- No One “Oldest” Language: Languages change over time, so it is hard to determine an origin.
- Proto-Indo-European Influence: Sanskrit developed from PIE, making claims of being the oldest and more complex.
- Other Ancient Languages: Tamil, Hebrew, and Arabic are also ancient; Tamil literature could be as old as 7,000 years.
- No Concrete Evidence: Sanskrit has less written evidence compared to other ancient languages such as Sumerian and Egyptian.
Top 10 Oldest Languages in India
India is a land of rich linguistic heritage. Here are the top 10 oldest languages in India:
- Tamil (Oldest Dravidian language, still spoken by millions)
- Sanskrit (Ancient Vedic language, primarily used in religious scriptures)
- Kannada (in Karnataka and having a history more than 2,000 years old)
- Telugu (More than 2,000 years old, is a language spoken in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana)
- Malayalam (a more than 2,000-year-old Tamil language)
- Odia (Speech of Odisha, almost 2,500 years old)
- Gujarati (Dates back over 1,500 years)
- Marathi (Evolved over 2,000 years ago)
- Punjabi (Over 5,000 years old)
- Bengali (Over 1,500 years old)
Top 20 Oldest Languages in The World
Tamil | Greek |
Armenian | Kurdish |
Welsh/Cymrag | Lithuanian |
Ancient Greek | Coptic |
Chinese | Persian/Farsi |
Basque/Euskaa | Irish/Gaeilge |
Sumerian | Sanskrit |
Avestan | Icelandic |
Hebrew | Latvian |
Arabic | Akkadian |
World’s First Language On Earth
It is difficult to say what the world’s oldest language and it relies on the criteria of spoken or written records, the development of language, and cultural status. Sumerian, Akkadian, and Egyptian written languages of old age, with evidence stretching 4,600 years back, tend to be the oldest languages. Among extant spoken languages, rivals are Tamil, being around for more than 2,000 years with an emotional history of its oldest text, Tolkāppiyam, and Sanskrit, associated with Hindu texts from 1500–1200 BCE and considered the “oldest continuous language tradition.” Other potential rivals are Hebrew, Arabic, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, each having distinct historical chronologies. The argument is informed by scientific and political considerations, indicative of the rich cultural heritage of humans in languages.
Ravi: What is the age of the Vedic Sanskrit language in India?
Meera: Actually, Rigveda is actually the oldest scripture that was written in Sanskrit, and Vedic Sanskrit itself dates back to around 1500 BC.
Ravi: How old is the Aramaic Language?
Meera: The Aramaic language was spoken by the Assyrian and Babylonian empires in about 11th BCE.
Ravi: Is Aramaic older than Arabic?
Meera: Arami is older than Arabic as it originated around 900 BCE, while Arabic emerged as about 300 CEs.
Ravi: Which type of language is Aramaic?
Meera: The Arami language, the Semitic language of the northern central, or the northwestern, group, which were originally spoken by the ancient Central Eastern people known as Aramis. It was the most closely related to Hebrew, Serial and Fonisian and was written in a script obtained from the Fonisian alphabet.
Ravi: How old is the Arabic language?
Meera: The Arabic languages belong to the Semitic branch, as is Hebrew and Arami. It came from the northwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula. Arabic has been defined and codified over many years, although its earliest applications were in the eighth century BCE.
Ravi: What is the oldest language in the world according to UNESCO?
Meera: Tamil. The oldest spoken language in the world is the official language of Singapore and Sri Lanka. Tamil inscriptions have been found that date back to 500 BCE, and it is so old that it was named a UNESCO classical language in 2004.
List Of The Languages That Are Still Widely Used
Tamil (5000 years old)
Sanskrit (5000 years old)
Egyptian (5000 years old)
Hebrew (3000 years old)
Greek (2900 years old)
Basque (2200 years old)
Lithuanian (5000 years old)
Farsi (2500 years old)
Irish Gaelic (1500 years old)
Icelandic (1200 years old)
Chinese (6000 years old)
Arabic (1500 years old)
Conclusion:
Language is more than just words— it is the doorway to history, culture, and identity. Although some of the world’s oldest languages such as Sumerian and Egyptian have died off, others such as Tamil, Sanskrit, and Aramaic still exist and preserve ancient traditions that went back thousands of years. The world’s oldest ten languages show us our linguistic heritage and why it is just as vital in today’s global communication.
Today, language learning websites like Hindustani Tongue are changing the manner of acquiring new languages.. Employing the Immersion Method, focusing on learning by images and actual situations, they make learning languages more interactive for children and adults alike. Polyglots tested this method which improves comprehension and retention, confirming that old languages can still be learned in creative ways. Whether it is to enter Sanskrit, Arami, or Arabic, adopt new methods so these languages remain alive for the coming generations.
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FAQs:
- Which is the first language in the world?
The oldest written language in the history of the world is Sumerian, 3500 B.C.E., but we have no knowledge about the very first spoken language because there is no evidence, and also languages keep changing all the time.
- Which is the earliest language?
Sumerian (3100B.C.E) and Egypt (3000 B.C.E) are two of the oldest languages on our planet.
- What is the oldest language in the world?
All historians and linguists believe that Sumerian, Akkadian and Egypt are the oldest languages with any written history. As none of the three are in use today and have no existing successors to hand the language on to the next generations, all three are extinct.
- How can I know or search more related to languages?
For more you can directly search on google as “Top 10 oldest languages in the world by age”, “Top 5 oldest languages in the world”, “List of Top 10 oldest languages in the world” and many more.