* Linguistic Family Trees: Languages are grouped into families based on shared ancestry. The deeper the branches of a family tree, the further back in time the language's origins lie.
* Reconstruction: We can reconstruct ancient languages from written records and comparisons with related languages, but we don't have complete historical records.
* Continuous Evolution: Languages constantly change over time. Even the "oldest" languages have evolved significantly from their earliest forms.
Strong Contenders:
* Tamil: Often cited as the oldest living language, with a continuous literary tradition dating back to the 3rd century BCE. It belongs to the Dravidian family.
* Sanskrit: An ancient Indo-Aryan language with a rich written tradition dating back to the 2nd millennium BCE. It is considered the ancestor of many modern Indian languages.
* Hebrew: Another ancient language with a continuous literary tradition dating back to the 10th century BCE. It belongs to the Semitic family.
Important Notes:
* Ancient Languages: While these languages are very old, they have evolved significantly over time. The languages spoken in ancient times are not the same as their modern counterparts.
* Other Contenders: Other languages, such as Basque, Etruscan, and Sumerian, have ancient roots, but their current status as "living" languages is debated.
In Conclusion:
It's difficult to definitively crown a single "oldest living language." While languages like Tamil, Sanskrit, and Hebrew have strong claims, the question ultimately relies on how we define "oldest" and "living language."