I present to you eight languages that, in a more or less unchanged form, have survived for thousands of years.
The evolution of language is not much different from biological evolution - it happens gradually, from generation to generation, so it cannot be determined exactly when one language became something else, writes Newsweek. That is why it is almost impossible to say exactly which language is the oldest - they are all in a way new and at the same time as old as humanity itself.
However, it is possible to single out some that have survived longer in a more or less unchanged form.
1. HEBREW
Hebrew is a very specific example in the world of linguistics. This language practically disappeared around the year 400, remaining preserved only as a liturgical language that Jews around the world used in religious ceremonies. It was not until the 19th and 20th centuries, that is, with the rise of Zionism, that Hebrew revived and became the official language of the state of Israel. Although the language has undergone changes since Old Testament times, Jews whose native Hebrew can easily understand the language of the Bible.
2. TAMILIAN
Tamil is a classical language and one of the great Dravidian languages. It is mainly spoken by Tamils in southern India and Sri Lanka, and smaller language communities exist in many other states. It is one of the most ancient languages in use today, practically unchanged for the last 2,500 years.
In 1996, it was estimated that it was spoken by over 74 million people worldwide, making it the 18th most widely spoken world language. The Tamil language has an unbroken literary tradition of over two millennia.
3. PERSIAN
Farsi, or Persian, is spoken in today's Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. This language is a direct successor of the Old Persian language spoken in the Persian Empire. Modern Persian developed around the year 800 and has changed relatively little in the last 1,200 years. Today's Iranians read texts from the ninth century more easily than, say, the English of Shakespeare.
4. ICELANDIC
Due to its geographical isolation, the Icelandic language has changed very little since the time when the first Nordic settlers brought it to the island. Because of that, modern Icelanders today easily read sagas written in the early Middle Ages.
5. Basque
The Basque language is a kind of linguistic mystery. Not only is it not associated with Romance languages, but it has no points of contact with any other language group in the world. The only thing that is clear is that the Basque language existed before the arrival of the Romans who brought Latin, which would later develop into several European languages.
6. GEORGIAN
The Caucasus region is one of the most linguistically significant in the world. Georgian is the largest language of the Kartvelian group and has existed in its current form for at least 1,700 years.
7. GOIDELIC
Although only a minority of Irish speak Gaelic, this language, which is essentially the mother tongue of all Irish people, existed long before the arrival of German influences.
8. ARMENIAN
The Armenian language has a long history, and the oldest text written by it dates from the year 450. Like most ancient languages, Armenian has its own script, completely different from the rest of the world.
Among these oldest language, I knew only the Tamil language. It is only the oldest language that has survived in the modern world as it is over 5,000 years old, having made its first appearance in 3,000 BC.