Poll: Which is the oldest written language still in use? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Which is the oldest written language still in use?".
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I’m not good at these quizzes and, apparently, not all authors agree, some say Tamil, others Greek and some others Chinese. So, take your pick…
| | | | Chié_JP 
Member (2013)
uit Engels in Japannees
+ ...
Why Tamil in alternatives? Tamil started in 5th Century, and its former type Brāhmī script is only since BC 600.
Sanskrit has been much older and they still use it in their scriptures and talismans.
Oldest Sanskrit dates back to BC 1500.
| | | | texjax DDS PhD
Local time: 02:42
Member (2006)
uit Engels in Italiaans
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Is this a poll or a trivia?
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Tom in London
Verenigde Koninkryk
Local time: 07:42
uit Italiaans in Engels
The Irish language is about 2,500 years old.
| | | | Gregor Trebec
Slowenië
Local time: 08:42
uit Engels in Sloweens
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I don't think there will be a winner. Man traveled from early ages and the knowledge too. It is like saying everything started in Africa.
| | | | | It is Tamil... | Nov 1, 2025 |
Tamil was around in 3rd century BC, the history of Tamil is not known to the world. But there are many all over the world who still speak Tamil.
Some are rewriting history so real facts are missing.
And as Gregor says, there will not be a winner.
| | | | Philip Lees
Griekeland
Local time: 09:42
uit Grieks in Engels
| Authoritative answer | Nov 1, 2025 |
Instead of just guessing, why not ask someone who really knows?
ChatGPT says:
The oldest written language still in use today is generally considered to be Chinese.
Here’s why:
Origins: The earliest known Chinese writing, called oracle bone script, dates to around 1200 BCE during the late Shang dynasty. These were inscriptions on bones and turtle shells used for divination.
Continuity: Modern Chinese writing (汉字 / 漢字, Hànzì) ... See more Instead of just guessing, why not ask someone who really knows?
ChatGPT says:
The oldest written language still in use today is generally considered to be Chinese.
Here’s why:
Origins: The earliest known Chinese writing, called oracle bone script, dates to around 1200 BCE during the late Shang dynasty. These were inscriptions on bones and turtle shells used for divination.
Continuity: Modern Chinese writing (汉字 / 漢字, Hànzì) has evolved through several stages — oracle bone script → bronze inscriptions → seal script → clerical script → regular script — but it remains a continuous written tradition.
Current use: Over 1 billion people use written Chinese today, making it not just the oldest, but also one of the most widely used writing systems in the world.
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For comparison, here are a few other ancient languages and why they don’t quite qualify:
Language Approx. First Writing Current Status
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Sumerian c. 3100 BCE Extinct (no native speakers since ~2000 BCE)
Egyptian c. 3200 BCE (Hieroglyphs) Evolved into Coptic, which survives as a liturgical language only
Hebrew c. 1000 BCE Revived as a spoken language in the late 19th century
Greek c. 800 BCE Still spoken, but has undergone major phonetic and grammatical changes
Tamil c. 500 BCE (earlier oral tradition) Still spoken and written, with one of the longest continuous literary traditions after Chinese
So, while Tamil is the oldest spoken language still in everyday use, Chinese is the oldest written language continuously used. ▲ Collapse
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