Language desk
< December 25	<< Nov \| December \| Jan >>	December 27 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Language Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

December 26

Which one is the oldest known language?

I know very little about languages, but I am very curious which language is the oldest known. Also, can one still learn it?--2A02:120B:C3E7:E650:A931:29B9:FE86:2516 (talk) 19:53, 26 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]

This question has been asked before, see e.g. "Oldest living language" (25 September 2017) or search for other threads mentioning {oldest language}. See also the disambiguation page Oldest language and the articles linked therefrom (especially Proto-Human language and List of languages by first written accounts).

Generally, it's hard to say when exactly a non-constructed language came into existence, since it's hard to determine how much of a change turns an old language into a new language. --Theurgist (talk) 20:17, 26 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Sanscrit? The oldest that can still be learned. Anton 81.131.40.58 (talk) 10:14, 27 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]