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Short answer is that no one really knows.
You could argue that it's Greek because written scripts in Greek date from 1500 B.C. But many linguists distinguish ancient Greek from modern Greek so even that answer is misleading.
In general the question is a tricky one because no language survives intact the same way it was from antiquity so it can be answered many ways.
But Greek can very well be an answer.
Finnish or Basque like mentioned previously are contenders as well.
But it's a subject of much controversy that expert linguists haven't solved and I don't expect Mahalo answers to solve either.
But it's a great question
Source(s):
http://www.linguistlist.org/ask-ling/oldest.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_first_written_accounts
http://www.lib.helsinki.fi/bff/399/wiik.html
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Source(s):
http://www.cd.sc.ehu.es/DOCS/book.SS-G/v2/Euskara.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basque_language#History_and_classification
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Without knowing when Basque was first used I can't be sure, but I think Hebrew might be older and is certainly still in use not just in Europe, but worldwide.
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"The pre-Classical form of Sanskrit is known as Vedic Sanskrit, with the language of the Rigveda being the oldest and most archaic stage preserved, its oldest core dating back to as early as 1500 BCE qualifying Rigvedic Sanskrit as one of the oldest attestation of any Indo-Iranian language, and one of the earliest attested members of the Indo-European language family."
Indo-European is a classification which includes "most of the major languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau (Southwest Asia), much of Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent (South Asia)"
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrit
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Answered Question
M$2
January 22, 2009 12:13 AM
What is the oldest language still used by people in Europe?
there are languages that evolved a lot though centuries and became modern languages like English and there are some ancient languages documented or some are still around but not used by people in everyday lives like Latin - what language is considered oldest "living" language in Europe?
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| January 22, 2009 02:07 AM |
You could argue that it's Greek because written scripts in Greek date from 1500 B.C. But many linguists distinguish ancient Greek from modern Greek so even that answer is misleading.
In general the question is a tricky one because no language survives intact the same way it was from antiquity so it can be answered many ways.
But Greek can very well be an answer.
Finnish or Basque like mentioned previously are contenders as well.
But it's a subject of much controversy that expert linguists haven't solved and I don't expect Mahalo answers to solve either.
But it's a great question
Source(s):
http://www.linguistlist.org/ask-ling/oldest.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_first_written_accounts
http://www.lib.helsinki.fi/bff/399/wiik.html
| Asker's Rating: |
• you get the best answer - congrats - and thank you!
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Other Answers (4)
January 22, 2009 12:17 AM
Basque; it predates even Latin
Source(s):
http://www.cd.sc.ehu.es/DOCS/book.SS-G/v2/Euskara.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basque_language#History_and_classification
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January 22, 2009 01:49 AM
@cyberangel Basque was never really a "dead" language. But people stopped speaking it after the Spanish Civil War and during Franco's regime. It was banned. After Franco died in the 70s a campaign started to reintroduce it and modernize it in the sense that it adopted many words from Spanish. But a language modernizing does not mean it died and was then reborn modern. It is essentially the same language. Languages are not static.
But while Basque is very old I don't know if it's the oldest. It very well could be because it's unrelated to any other language in existence. It's still a bit of a mystery.
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But while Basque is very old I don't know if it's the oldest. It very well could be because it's unrelated to any other language in existence. It's still a bit of a mystery.
January 22, 2009 12:42 AM
I couldn't find any dates on exactly when Basque started to be used, but I did find it interesting that it wasn't written until the 16th century. Without knowing when Basque was first used I can't be sure, but I think Hebrew might be older and is certainly still in use not just in Europe, but worldwide.
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January 22, 2009 05:26 AM
- Fact Refuted
According to Wikipedia written Basque has been found from as early as the year 300 AD.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_first_written_accounts
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_first_written_accounts
January 22, 2009 05:41 AM
- Fact Refuted
Two points:
First, this contradicts the following quote, "The Basque language was not written until the 16th century" found in http://www.cd.sc.ehu.es/DOCS/book.SS-G/v2/Euskara.html which is published by the "University of the Basque Country."
Second, the very same wikipedia article you mention lists Hebrew as being from 950BC.
Without anything else to go by I find it hard to trust wikipedia 100% on either claim and so the true answer remains elusive.
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First, this contradicts the following quote, "The Basque language was not written until the 16th century" found in http://www.cd.sc.ehu.es/DOCS/book.SS-G/v2/Euskara.html which is published by the "University of the Basque Country."
Second, the very same wikipedia article you mention lists Hebrew as being from 950BC.
Without anything else to go by I find it hard to trust wikipedia 100% on either claim and so the true answer remains elusive.
January 22, 2009 05:14 PM
Though it's no longer spoken in "Europe," per say, sanskrit is one of the earliest Indo-European languages and is still recognized as an official language in India, with 14,135 fluent speakers in India as of 2001. "The pre-Classical form of Sanskrit is known as Vedic Sanskrit, with the language of the Rigveda being the oldest and most archaic stage preserved, its oldest core dating back to as early as 1500 BCE qualifying Rigvedic Sanskrit as one of the oldest attestation of any Indo-Iranian language, and one of the earliest attested members of the Indo-European language family."
Indo-European is a classification which includes "most of the major languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau (Southwest Asia), much of Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent (South Asia)"
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrit
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January 23, 2009 05:03 PM
thank you - interesting answer - I'm sure all Indo-European languages are related, but I'm looking for oldest language still used in Europe specifically.
Actually, some time ago I was told that Baltic languages are among oldest living languages in Europe, and very closely related to Sanskrit.
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Actually, some time ago I was told that Baltic languages are among oldest living languages in Europe, and very closely related to Sanskrit.
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But I believe that the original Basque is a dead language and a modern version was reintroduced...