What is the world's oldest language still spoken today?

Asked 12-Oct-2022
Updated 16-Jun-2023
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This is a question that has been debated by linguists for many years. There are a few contenders for the title of oldest language, but the one that is most likely to be the true winner is Tamil

Tamil is the world's oldest language that is continuously used today. Around 78 million people in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Singapore speak this Dravidian language. The official languages of Sri Lanka and India both include Tamil.

The earliest Tamil inscriptions date back to around 500 BCE, and the earliest Tamil literature dates back to around 300 BCE. Tamil is a classical language, and has been described as 'one of the great classical languages of the world'. It has a rich literary tradition and has been used in many different ways over the centuries.

Tamil is also one of the 22 scheduled languages of India. It is one of the most ancient languages in the world, with a documented history of over 2,500 years. Tamil literature is rich and varied and includes some of the oldest extant works in any language. The Tamil grammarians were among the first to develop a comprehensive grammatical treatise, and the earliest Tamil dictionaries date back to the 5th century CE.

Tamil is a highly synthetic language, with a complex grammatical structure. It is also a highly inflected language, with a large number of derivational affixes. Tamil has a large vocabulary, with over 200,000 words. It is also a very rich language in terms of literature and culture.

Tamil is a living language and is still spoken by people all over the world. It is estimated that there are around 78 million Tamil speakers in the world. Tamil is also one of the official languages of India and Sri Lanka.

What is the worlds oldest language still spoken today

So, what makes Tamil such a strong contender for the title of oldest language? 

Well, there are a few things. Firstly, its grammar is incredibly complex, which suggests that it has been around for a very long time. Secondly, it has a huge body of ancient literature, which includes some of the oldest known texts in any language. One of the most impressive things about Tamil is the fact that it has remained largely unchanged over the millennia. This is quite remarkable, considering that it has been spoken by so many people over such a long period of time.