Top 10 Oldest Languages in the World

Human development has been influenced by language, which has also made discussion easier as a way of communication. Before the development of language, humans communicated mostly through hand gestures and early mouth noises. The concept of languages emerged some 10,000 years ago, changing the course of human history.

There are many languages spoken around the world, but only a few numbers are still spoken and used today. Currently, there are about 7000 languages spoken throughout the world. Even determining which languages are the oldest in the world presents a challenge to many academics. You'll be shocked to learn that there are still several languages in use today that have been around for more than 400 or 4000 years.

1. Sanskrit

The three Indian religions of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism, all speak Sanskrit. It is one of the most extensively used languages in the world. The most widely used language in India at one time was Sanskrit, which is considered to be 4,000 years old (although some say it is 6,000 years old). Sanskrit is still used as a language by about 7000 individuals. The first known written example of Sanskrit is found in the Rigveda, a collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns that was created somewhere in the second millennium B.C.

According to studies, Sanskrit, one of India's official languages, is one of the oldest languages in the world. Given that it gives credence to so many others, such as Hindi, Marathi, and many others, Sanskrit looks to be the ancestor of all Indian languages. Sanskrit is also used in literature and music as a language of prayer and meditation.

2. Egyptian

It is known as the African continent's first language. This 4700-year-old language is widely spoken in Africa and Egypt. It is a very old language, with written evidence dating back to 3400 BC. Coptic was Egypt's most widely spoken language before Egyptian Arabic took over in the late 17th century AD when Muslims invaded the country. Coptic is still the liturgical language of the Coptic Church in Egypt. Currently, more than 56 million people speak the language fluently.

3. Greek

Greek, the official language of Cyprus and Greece, is spoken by over 13 million people worldwide. Within the seventh and eighth centuries, Homer's writings were worshipped. Greek is descended from Mycenaean Greek, a language that emerged 700 years before the publication of The Odyssey. The modern Greek language, which is spoken by 13 million people worldwide, began to emerge around 3,500 years ago. Greek has meaning and philosophy, ranging from academic value to spiritual foundation. It is the third oldest language in the world, but it may be the first language spoken on a daily basis. The Greek language dates back to 1450 BC, or 3,500 years. The modern version of this language has evolved significantly over the years. It is an Indo-European language from the Hellenic branch. The first written evidence of this language was found in Mycenae. Linear B was the name of the script. Homer was a legendary author who wrote the Odyssey. It is regarded as the foundation of Greek education and evidence of the ancient Greek language. In Greece and Cyprus, the Greek language is spoken by nearly 13.5 million people.

4. Chinese

Chinese is one of the world's oldest languages (3000 years), with the first written form appearing around 1250 BC. Today, translation services in Cantonese and Mandarin are also in high demand. Why is this so? The history of the Chinese language spans many dynasties and thousands of years. Different dialects of Chinese are spoken in different regions of China. Experts and even other officials must deliver their services and products in a way that consumers can understand and connect with. According to the most recent statistics, 1.24 billion people speak Chinese as their first language, which contains all dialects and variations, which benefits many businesses.

5. Tamil

It has a history of 5000 years and, is spoken by 78 million people. It originated in India's southernmost region. It is the official language of Sri Lanka, Singapore, and the Indian states of Tamil Nadu. Tamil is the only extant ancient language. Tamil is the world's oldest language, considered to have descended from Proto-Dravidian, which was used in the fourth millennium. However, establishing this is impossible because no proof was available at the time. This language has been documented since 300 BC. Tamil literature is vast and is regarded as classical. Its traces can be found in literature and cave carvings.

6. Korean

The Korean language dates back to around 57 BC, or 2,100 years. It is a primary language in both South and North Korea. Although Korean is the official language of both North and South Korea, there are differences in their spelling, vocabulary, dialects, and even alphabets. Hanja was the oldest Korean writing system. It was built around Chinese characters. People first used the Hangul phonetic alphabet in the 15^th century. The Middle Korean script, also known as Hangul, was developed by King Sejong the Great and his scholars around the fifteenth century. However, several countries, including Japan, Kazakhstan, China, Russia, Uzbekistan, and others, now use Korea for a variety of business purposes. As a result, many organisations and business sectors worldwide require Korean translation services. This language is spoken by approximately 77 million people. It is currently the most popular language among the younger generation.

7. Aramaic

Even though being one of the world's oldest languages, it lacks the cultural traditions of Iran, Syria, Turkey, and Lebanon. The Hebrew and Arabic alphabets are both used in this language. Armenians are thought to have used this language in ancient Syria around 1100 BC. As a result, this language has existed since the fourth millennium. Many consider it to be the most ancient language still in use. Despite the fact that the language is rapidly dying, there are still over 5 lakh Aramaic speakers nationally and internationally. People in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria do not consider this language to be one of the oldest. Ugaritic, Phoenician, Hebrew, and other Canaanite dialects exist alongside Aramaic. It is believed to have originated in northern Syria and Mesopotamia. It is written in both Hebrew and Arabic. This language is spoken by roughly 8 to 10 lakh people.

8. Hebrew

Because many biblical terms are derived from the Hebrew language, many words, such as Amen, Sabbatical, Cherub, Satan, Abracadabra, and so on, have been incorporated into the English language. Around 400 CE, Hebrew began to lose popularity, but it is still used for religious ceremonies by Jews worldwide. During the rise of Zionism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Hebrew experienced a Renaissance period, eventually becoming Israel's official language. Even though Modern Hebrew differs from the Biblical original, native Hebrew speakers can understand anything written in the old books. Other Jewish languages have had a significant impact on modern Hebrew. There are currently 9 million people who speak modern Hebrew. It is the mother tongue of 5 million people out of a total population of 9 million.

9. Farsi

Farsi is one of the world's oldest languages, thought to have evolved between 525 and 300 BCE. Farsi is the primary language in modern Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. Farsi is the direct descendant of Old Persian, the official language of the Persian Empire. Modern Persian began to evolve around 800 CE, and little has changed since then. Persian speakers would have had less difficulty reading a work from the year 900 CE than an English speaker would have had, for example, reading Shakespearean texts. Persian is another name for Farsi. This language is primarily spoken by people from Iran, Afghanistan, and East India. Farsi is the cursive form of Arabic. Farsi is the mother tongue of nearly 70 million people.

10. Latin

Latin was the first script to appear after the Old form, around 75 BC. It is a classical Indo-European language descended from the Italic family. Originally, Lazio-the areas around Rome-spoke Latin as their primary language. Because the Roman Empire saw Latin as a valuable language at the time, it decided to make it a formal language. Latin is still considered the official language of Poland and Vatican City.