BY:Datta Nighut
Determining the exact count of languages today is a challenging task, but according to anthropologists, there are roughly 7,000 distinct languages in the world. Surprisingly, only around 200 of these languages are spoken by over a million individuals, leaving the majority of languages with fewer than 100,000 speakers.
The Old Persians, between 525 BC and 300 BC, were the originators of this language and documented it using Behistun inscriptions. Today, you can discover some of these inscriptions in Kermanshah City, Iran. Remarkably, these inscriptions played a pivotal role in Kermanshah City's recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
10 Persian (2500 Years Old)
Latin first surfaced around 700 BC, and scholars classify it as an Indo-European language. Within this linguistic category, we also find languages like Italian, French, Romanian, Spanish, and Portuguese. Surprisingly, English, too, belongs to the Indo-European language family.
9 Latin (2700 Years Old)
Aramaic's dissemination was aided by Assyrian and Babylonian merchants, who carried it to various Middle Eastern communities through trade. By the year 600 BC, Aramaic had supplanted Akkadian as the Middle East's official language. This trend continued when the Achaemenian Persians, ruling from 559 BC to 330 BC, embraced Aramaic as well.
Aramaic (2900 Years Old)
Hebrew, a Semitic language primarily spoken in the Northwest, is classified by anthropologists as one of the Afroasiatic languages. Historically, it served as one of the languages spoken by the Israelites. Even today, the Samaritans and Jews, who are the longest-surviving descendants of the Israelites, continue to use Hebrew as their spoken language.
7 Hebrew (3000 Years Old)
Mandarin and Cantonese stand as the predominant languages of contemporary China, commonly referred to as Chinese by outsiders. Nevertheless, it's important to note that these languages have relatively recent origins. Cantonese came into existence around 220 AD, while Mandarin developed in the 1300s AD. The Han ethnic Chinese language dates back to around 1250 BC.
6 Han Ethnic Chinese (3250 Years Ago)
The Greek language originated in the Balkans and may have been spoken as early as 1450 BC. However, the earliest physical evidence of Greek writing is a clay tablet found in Messenia that dates back to between 1450 BC and 1350 BC. This tablet provides us with a clue to how long the Greek language has been in existence.
5 Greek (3450 Years Ago)
Sanskrit belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It's worth noting that there were multiple versions of Sanskrit over time. Vedic Sanskrit stands out as the earliest form of this language. Interestingly, some individuals considered Sanskrit to be the oldest language, even dubbing it the "origin of all languages."
4 Sanskrit (3500 Years Ago)
Tamil is one of the world's oldest languages, with its roots tracing back to around 3000 BC. Scholars classify Tamil as a Dravidian language. It is believed that Tamil was spoken even before the advent of written records, possibly predating 3000 BC, when the Tamils composed their initial grammar text. The oral tradition of Tamil likely preceded its written form.
3 Tamil (5000 Years Ago)
Tamil is one of the world's oldest languages, with its roots tracing back to around 3000 BC. Scholars classify Tamil as a Dravidian language. It is believed that Tamil was spoken even before the advent of written records, possibly predating 3000 BC, when the Tamils composed their initial grammar text. The oral tradition of Tamil likely preceded its written form.
2 Egyptian (5000 Years Ago)
Tamil is one of the world's oldest languages, with its roots tracing back to around 3000 BC. Scholars classify Tamil as a Dravidian language. It is believed that Tamil was spoken even before the advent of written records, possibly predating 3000 BC, when the Tamils composed their initial grammar text. The oral tradition of Tamil likely preceded its written form.
1 Sumerian (5,000 Years Ago)
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