Which is the Oldest Language in the World: 10 Oldest Languages Still Spoken

There are about 7,000–7,151 languages spoken across the world. But have you ever thought which was the first language ever spoken in the world? In this 21st century, finding out the oldest language in the world is easier said than done. The written records are definitive and accurate to fall back on. Yet, our historians have done their part and pieced together to form a timeline of languages.

Which is the Oldest Living Language in the World?

No official record of the world’s oldest language exists because it examines historical records and linguistic evolution. While there is no definitive answer, one of the oldest languages is Tamil.

Tamil is often cited as one of the oldest languages still spoken today, alongside Sanskrit and Chinese. Each of these languages carries a unique historical and cultural significance. These languages continue to influence their speakers even today.

The following sections discuss a timeline of the oldest languages on Earth. Let’s begin the journey of one language at a time!

The Oldest Language in the World: A Timeline

According to most linguists, Sumerian, Akkadian, and Egyptian are the oldest languages in the world.

Sumerian (c. 3100 BC)

• Origin: Often regarded as the oldest language of the world, Sumerian emerged in ancient Mesopotamia, specifically in the region that is now southern Iraq.
• Significance: It is considered the oldest written language, with cuneiform script used for record-keeping, literature, and administration. Sumerians played an essential role in developing writing systems and influenced subsequent cultures. Sumerian is the oldest known language and is classified as a language isolate. This means that it has no known relatives or descendants.

Egyptian (c. 3000 BC)

• Origin: The Egyptian language developed in ancient Egypt alongside the rise of one of the world’s earliest civilisations and the oldest language still in use.
• Significance: Known for its hieroglyphic writing system, Egyptian was used for religious texts, monumental inscriptions, and administrative purposes. The language evolved over millennia, leading to several dialects and forms. Egyptian belongs to the Afro-Asiatic language family and is still spoken in North Africa and the Middle East.

Akkadian (c. 2600 BC)

• Origin: One of the oldest languages in world, Akkadian, arose in ancient Mesopotamia and was closely related to the Sumerians. Later, it became the region’s dominant language.
• Significance: Written in cuneiform script like Sumerian, Akkadian became a lingua franca across much of the Near East. It has two main dialects: Babylonian and Assyrian, each contributing to a rich literary tradition. Akkadian belongs to the Afro-Asiatic language family (Semitic language branch), closely related to Hebrew and Arabic.

Now that we have discussed the origins of these languages, let’s move to the world’s 10 oldest languages, which are still used. 

History of 10 Oldest Languages Spoken Today

We have curated a list of the oldest spoken languages we still use and some facts that make these human languages unique and beautiful.

Sanskrit: 1500 BC – Present (circa. 3500 years old)

• Period: Circa 1500 BC – Present (approximately 3500 years old)
• Language Family: Indo-European
• Current Speakers: Fewer than 25,000 fluent speakers, primarily in religious contexts.
• Facts: 
• Sanskrit is often referred to as the classical language of India and has a rich literary tradition. Sanskrit is another old languages that have survived the time’s test. It was widely used in Vedas and Upanishads.
• It is the root of many modern languages in India and has influenced others across Asia.

Greek: 1450 BC – Present (circa. 3500 years old)

• Period: Circa 1450 BC – Present (approximately 3500 years old)
• Language Family: Hellenic
• Current Speakers: Approximately 13 million worldwide.
• Facts: 
• Greek is the national language of Greece and Cyprus.
• Mycenaean is the earliest form of the Greek language.
• The Greek language has a continuous history of over 3,500 years and is known for its contributions to philosophy, science, and literature.
• The language has evolved through several stages, from Ancient to Modern Greek.
• It is also the oldest language in Europe.

Chinese: 1250 BC – Present (circa. 3300 years old)

• Period: Circa 1250 BC – Present (approximately 3300 years old)
• Language Family: Sino-Tibetan
• Current Speakers: Over 1.1 billion, primarily Mandarin.
• Facts: 
• The earliest written records of the Chinese language date back to oracle bone inscriptions.
• Chinese encompasses various dialects, with Mandarin being the most widely spoken. But that’s not all; it has survived the test of time and is still spoken, making it one of the most spoken languages in the world, with over 1.18 billion speakers worldwide today.

Aramaic: 11th century BCE – Present (circa. 3000 years old)

• Period: Circa 11th century BCE – Present (approximately 3000 years old)
• Language Family: Semitic
• Current Speakers: Between 800,000 and 1 million, mainly among Assyrian communities.
• Facts: 
• Aramaic was historically the lingua franca of the Near East and was the language of Jesus Christ.
• It has several dialects, with Neo-Aramaic being the most commonly spoken today.

Hebrew: 1000 BC–200 CE, 1800 – Present (circa. 3000 years old)

• Period: Circa 1000 BC – 200 CE, revived from 1800 – Present (approximately 3000 years old)
• Language Family: Semitic
• Current Speakers: Approximately 9 million, primarily in Israel.
• Facts: 
• Modern Hebrew, the official language of Israel, was revived as a spoken language of the Jewish community in the late 19th century after being used mainly for religious purposes.
• It is the only Canaanite language still in use today.
• One of the oldest living languages in the world still being used today is Hebrew, also the official language of Palestine after the First World War.

Farsi: 525 BCE – Present (circa. 2550 years old)

• Period: Circa 525 BCE – Present (approximately 2550 years old)
• Language Family: Indo-Iranian
• Current Speakers: Approximately 80 million, mainly in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan.
• Facts: 
• Farsi has a rich literary heritage with influential poets like Rumi and Hafez.
• The language has evolved from Old Persian through Middle Persian to modern Farsi.

Armenian: 5th century BCE – Present (circa. 2500 years old)

• Period: Circa 5th century BCE – Present (approximately 2500 years old)
• Language Family: Indo-European
• Current Speakers: Approximately 6 million, primarily in Armenia and the Armenian diaspora.
• Facts:
• Armenian’s unique alphabet was created in the early 5th century by Mesrop Mashtots.
• The language has preserved many archaic features compared to other Indo-European languages.

Tamil: 300 BC – Present (circa. 2300 years old)

• Period: Circa 300 BC – Present (approximately 2300 years old)
• Language Family: Dravidian
• Current Speakers: Approximately 78 million, primarily in India, Sri Lanka, and Singapore.
• Facts: 
• Tamil is recognised as the oldest language. One of the official languages and longest-surviving classical languages in the world, it is a widely spoken language in India and two sovereign nations, Singapore and Sri Lanka.
• Tamil is the oldest language in the world and is descended from the Proto-Dravidian language family.
• Tolkāppiyam (also romanised as Tholkaappiyam) is the oldest surviving work of Tamil, composed 2000 years ago.
• Tamil is the oldest modern language and is divided into three periods: Old Tamil (300 BCE – 700 CE), Middle Tamil (700 – 1600 CE), and Modern Tamil (1600 – Present).
• The Tamil language has ancient inscriptions dating to around the 3rd century BCE.

Irish Gaelic: 4th century CE – Present (circa. 1700 years old)

• Period: Circa 4th century CE – Present (approximately 1700 years old)
• Language Family: Celtic
• Current Speakers: Approximately 1.8 million, primarily in Ireland.
• Facts: 
• Irish Gaelic is a minority language in Ireland but enjoys official status and revitalisation efforts.
• It has a rich oral tradition and literature dating back to early medieval times.

Arabic: 6th century CE – Present (circa. 1400 years old)

• Period: Circa 6th century CE – Present (approximately 1400 years old)
• Language Family: Semitic
• Current Speakers: Over 310 million across many countries in the Arab world.
• Facts: 
• In the quest for the oldest language, the next in line is the language of the Quran: Arabic! 
• The Arabic language is known for its complex grammar and rich vocabulary; it is also the liturgical language of Islam.
• There are numerous dialects of Arabic, with Modern Standard Arabic serving as the formal written standard and one of the best languages to learn in Australia.

While many languages have become the official languages of the world today, some ancient languages could not withstand the pressure of time and have become extinct. Let’s examine those languages.

Ancient Languages Now Extinct

Out of all the quotes on language, the most striking one is:

Robert Alan Silverstein: “Every two weeks another language disappears forever! Once a language is lost, humanity loses a part of our rich heritage.”

We have listed a few languages once spoken in ancient times but were lost to modern and literary languages.

1. Etruscan

• Period: Circa 800 BC – 1st century AD
• Language Family: Language isolate (not related to any known language family)
• Facts: 
• The Etruscan civilisation spoke Etruscan in what is now modern-day Italy.
• This was the primary language from inscriptions and tombs, but its exact grammar and vocabulary remain largely undeciphered.
• Etruscan influenced early Roman culture, including religious practices and some aspects of the Latin language.

2. Latin

• Period: Circa 500 BC – 15th century AD (as a spoken language)
• Language Family: Italic
• Facts: 
• Latin, the language of the Roman Empire, has significantly influenced many modern languages, particularly the Romance languages (e.g., Italian, Spanish, French).
• Although Latin is considered a “dead” language in terms of native speakers, it is still used in specific contexts, such as in the Catholic Church and scientific nomenclature.
• The transition from Latin to its descendant languages occurred gradually over centuries, making it difficult to pinpoint its extinction.

3. Phoenician

• Period: Circa 1200 BC – 2nd century AD
• Language Family: Semitic
• Facts: 
• The ancient Phoenicians spoke Phoenicians in the region of modern-day Lebanon and parts of Syria and Israel.
• It is known for its alphabet, one of the earliest known alphabets, serving as a precursor to Greek and Latin scripts.
• The language became extinct as a spoken tongue by the end of the Roman Empire, although it continued to be used in some inscriptions.

4. Minoan (Linear A)

• Period: Circa 2000 BC – 1450 BC
• Language Family: Unknown (not yet deciphered)
• Facts: 
• Linear A is a script used by the Minoan civilisation on the island of Crete. Its language remains undeciphered, making it one of the great mysteries of ancient linguistics.
• The Minoans were known for their advanced culture, including art and architecture, but their language has left no direct descendants.
• Linear A inscriptions have been found on clay tablets and pottery but provide limited information about the Minoan language or culture.

5. Hattic

• Period: Circa 2500 BC – 1200 BC
• Language Family: Language isolate
• Facts: 
• Hattic was spoken in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) by the Hattians before being replaced by Hittite.
• Very few texts exist in Hattic, making it difficult to understand its structure or vocabulary.
• The language was primarily used in religious contexts and has left little impact on subsequent languages.

6. Hurrian

• Period: Circa 2500 BC – 1000 BC
• Language Family: Hurro-Urartian
• Facts: 
• Hurrian was spoken in northern Mesopotamia and parts of Anatolia. It is known from cuneiform texts found at sites like Urkesh and Hattusa.
• The language has been partially deciphered, revealing its use in administrative texts and religious hymns.
• Hurrian influenced neighbouring cultures, mainly through its interactions with Hittite.

7. Raetic

• Period: Circa 500 BC – 1st century AD
• Language Family: Language isolate (related to Etruscan)
• Facts: 
• Raetic was spoken in the Alpine region of northern Italy and parts of Switzerland.
• The language is known from inscriptions found on stone monuments and artifacts but remains poorly understood due to limited material.
• Raetic likely became extinct as Roman influence spread through the region.

Which is the First Language with Written Account?

Evidence dating back to 3200 BC in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) shows that the Sumerian language was the first spoken language per the written accounts. It is an agglutinative language, meaning it forms words and expresses grammatical relationships by adding prefixes and suffixes.

Conclusion

We believe the quest to find the oldest language has been successful. From Sumerian and Egyptian (still used as the liturgical language of the Coptic Orthodox) to Sanskrit and Tamil, and finally, extinct Phoenician, we have come a long way. While researching which language is the oldest, one thing that kept me going was: Was there a time when there was only one language? Also, what would have been the first word ever spoken? Think about it!