2006-06-15 21:01:39 · 21 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
specifically, i am referring to languages that are still being read and spoken (not merely by experts or academics)... but, languages that are still part of everyday usage. So, amongst such languages that are currently spoken, which is the oldest
2006-06-15 21:08:26 · update #1
One authoritative source that has collected data from all over the world, The Ethnologue, listed the total number of current languages in the world as 6809 (1). These languages have come from about 20 “proto-langauges.” A “protolanguage” is simply: a ”recorded ancestral language.”
Based on the criteria of your question the answer is:
Aramaic
Aramaic is one of the world's oldest languages. Last year, Aramaic was heard by large audiences in the film "Passion of the Christ", which portrayed the last 12 hours of Christ’s life. Today this ancient language is spoken by around 15,000 people and is in danger of dying out.
Aramaic precedes Greek, Hebrew, Arabic and Sanskrit and is also older then the “proto-language” from which Chinese originated.
2006-06-16 04:45:16 · answer #1 · answered by THINKER 1 · 9⤊ 2⤋
Modern greek is totally different from ancient greek. So it is not the language you are searching for.
Hebrew language is merely more than 2000 years old.
So my guess points to Sankrit language which is the origin of all Indian languages. Many people will say that Sankskrit was used for writing religious stuffs but there is a village in the sate of Gujarat in western India where a population of about 20000 speak Sankskrit as their first language.
2006-06-16 08:03:14 · answer #2 · answered by Max P 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Modern Greek is quite different from Ancient Greek. Likewise, Mandarin Chinese is probably only 500-800 years old. My guess would be Hebrew but I'm not really sure.
2006-06-16 05:56:37 · answer #3 · answered by ktoseal 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Greek
2006-06-16 04:43:46 · answer #4 · answered by RY 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All the languages because they were used before other people who used that language.
2006-06-16 04:04:36 · answer #5 · answered by Da Great 1 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sanskrit
2006-06-16 04:07:01 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hebrew.
2006-06-16 04:06:19 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
1. The smile
2. My guess would be Chinese. This answerer says Sanskrit and Greek as well: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=1006052901624
2006-06-16 04:15:48 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it's Sanskrit, one of the indian languages which is way too old ...... it is still studied in India!
2006-06-16 04:07:33 · answer #9 · answered by PaRtY AnGeL 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hebrew. adam and eve spoke hebrew, and so did everyone after them until the tower of babel. from then on, everyone spoke different languages but hebrew was the first.
2006-06-16 05:18:37 · answer #10 · answered by yellowbanana 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋