As human civilization progressed, humans devised languages to enable the communication of their thoughts, needs, and emotions. While the languages initially developed did not have any script, the later languages were written down, and their grammar systematized. What then are some of the oldest written languages in the world?
• Mayan – The Mayan language, native to the South American region is among the oldest languages of the world. It was founded in the 3rd century and had over 32 identifiable dialects. The earliest representation of the Mayan language was discovered in the form of glyphs.
• Arabic – The Arabic language has been around since the 300s. Widely spoken in the Gulf areas and parts of the Indian subcontinent – the earliest evidence of this language was found in the Namara inscription. The oldest form of Arabic is denoted as Old Arabic, which is believed to have parented other dialects of the language.
• Sanskrit – Perhaps, is the oldest language in the whole wide world, Sanskrit dates back to the first century. Many versions of Sanskrit exist. It happened to be the dominant language used in Southeast Asia for the longest time. Although India still continues to identify Sanskrit as one of its official languages to date – the number of Sanskrit speakers in the country has dwindled down to a minority of mere thousands.