Language obviously developed as we evolved and changed as we radiated across the world but is there a language or languages that predates most or all of the others?
2007-02-22 12:21:30 · 6 answers · asked by rizole 2 in Social Science ➔ Anthropology
Keep in mind that we have no way of "knowing" a language from the past unless it has been recorded. Writing is a very recent invention when it comes to the human timeline. At most, we can go back about 6,000 years - and that's only in a few places in the world. Most places did not use a written language for most of their history. Therefore, even if there WAS a "language that predates all others," we'd have no way of knowing what it was.
The earliest written languages are: Sumerian (Cuneiform), Dravidian (but we can't read that one), Egyptian (Heiroglyphics), and Sanskrit.
2007-02-23 03:57:53 · answer #1 · answered by stormsinger1 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Hebrew is the earliest language spoken and written.
2007-02-23 04:03:38 · answer #2 · answered by lost in space 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Bible is the oldest book have ever known, and it has the widest distribution ever. since it recorded the oldest history and the language used is Hebrew (Hebrew-Aramaic), we can consider perhaps its as the oldest language.
...gain widespread among Jews, Arabs, Syriac Christians, and the Church Fathers, according to which Aramaic or ‘Synac' is the oldest language...
2007-02-22 18:31:40 · answer #3 · answered by waway_bato2005 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Sanskrit is a candidate as it is the base language of all indo-european languages.Look it up on the net.
2007-02-22 18:41:50 · answer #4 · answered by melbournewooferblue 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
You are asking two questions, the earliest known and the earliest recorded. These are not the same.
2007-02-22 12:30:11 · answer #5 · answered by ttpawpaw 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
The earliest language was spoken by the earliest wife while b1tchin' at her earliest husband about something or other......
2007-02-22 19:24:46 · answer #6 · answered by warhorse 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋