Since the creation of mankind, humans have used several means to communicate but the oldest languages in the world which are still spoken today tell us how long we have used languages to communicate and build relationships globally.
As per Mondly, nine of the world’s languages pass the test to be described as Oldest Languages In The World.
These are the Oldest Languages In The World
Tamil
Sanskrit
Greek
Hebrew
Chinese
Arabic
Coptic Egyptian
Aramaic
Persian
How old are the Oldest Languages In The World?
- Tamil: Tamil is one of the oldest living languages in the world, with a history dating back over 2,500 years.
- Sanskrit: Sanskrit is another ancient language, with a history dating back over 3,500 years.
- Greek: Greek is also an ancient language, with a history dating back over 3,400 years.
- Hebrew: Hebrew is another ancient language, with a history dating back over 3,000 years.
- Chinese: Chinese is one of the oldest continuously spoken languages in the world, with a history dating back over 3,200 years.
- Arabic: Arabic is a relatively younger language, with a history dating back over 1,500 years.
- Coptic Egyptian: Coptic Egyptian is a descendant of the ancient Egyptian language, and has a history dating back over 2,000 years.
- Aramaic: Aramaic is an ancient language with a history dating back over 3,000 years.
- Persian: Persian is an ancient language with a history dating back over 2,500 years.
Which people speak the world’s top 9 oldest languages?
- Tamil: Tamil people, who are predominantly found in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the sovereign nation of Sri Lanka. Tamil is also spoken by significant minorities in other parts of India, such as Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.
- Sanskrit: Sanskrit is a classical language of India, and is spoken by a small number of people today, primarily in India and Nepal. It is also used as a liturgical language by Hindus and Buddhists.
- Greek: Greek is spoken by over 13 million people as a native language, primarily in Greece, Cyprus, and southern Albania. It is also spoken by a significant diaspora community around the world.
- Hebrew: Hebrew is spoken by over 9 million people as a native language, primarily in Israel. It is also spoken by a significant diaspora community around the world.
- Chinese: Chinese is spoken by over 1.3 billion people as a native language, making it the most widely spoken language in the world. It is spoken in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore, as well as by diaspora communities around the world.
- Arabic: Arabic is spoken by over 450 million people as a native language, making it the fifth most widely spoken language in the world. It is spoken in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Horn of Africa, as well as by diaspora communities around the world.
- Coptic Egyptian: Coptic Egyptian is a liturgical language of the Coptic Orthodox Church, and is spoken by a small number of people in Egypt and Ethiopia.
- Aramaic: Aramaic is a Semitic language that was spoken in the Middle East in ancient times. It is still spoken by a small number of people today, primarily in Iraq, Syria, and Iran.
- Persian: Persian is spoken by over 110 million people as a native language, primarily in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. It is also spoken by a significant diaspora community around the world.
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Ancient languages: the oldest dead languages on Earth
Hurrian – oldest proof of written Hurrian dates back to the 21st century BC;
Palaic – attested in cuneiform tablets in Bronze Age Hattusa – circa the 16th century BC;
Egyptian – its earliest known complete written sentence has been dated to about 2690 BC;
Akkadian – first attested texts from around the mid-3rd-millennium BC;
Elamite – the earliest Elamite writings use a pictographic script and date from the middle of the 3rd millennium BC;
Hittite – the oldest known text in the Hittite language was written by Anitta, a king who reigned in the 17th century BC;
Mycenaean Greek – the most ancient attested form of the Greek language with the earliest writings dating back to 1450 BC.
Which of these languages are you able to speak?