If languages like Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, or Bengali, among others, catch your attention, Sanskrit could help you learn them. It was the lingua franca of much of the east for more than three thousand years. Sanskrit is an ancient Indian language and the liturgical language of Hinduism. In the 1830s, Prince Maximilian of Wied created a comparison list of Mandan and Welsh words, but there is a debate about the validity of these origins. The Mandan language has some similarities to the Welsh language and at one point, scholars even believed the language to be displaced Welsh. The latter fell out of use, and only Nuptare survived into the 20th century. There are two main dialects: Nuptare and Nuetare. The language is currently taught in schools, and there are extensive materials available for the language at the North Dakota Heritage Center. It was one of about three languages to die in 2016 with the passing of Dr. Mandan is a Siouan language from the North Dakota area. Many learners use hymns to study the language, but there are a few additional resources available for those interested in learning the language. Like Latin, Coptic is still a language of religion (in the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria) and today, there are several hundred fluent speakers. If you’re into hieroglyphics or different writing systems, Ancient Egyptian would be a fun language to learn. LinneyĪncient Egyptian is one of the earliest known written languages, and it was spoken until the late 17th century in the form of Coptic.
Some of the famous writers in the language include Ovid, Julius Caesar, and Cicero. If you’re interested in learning any of the Latin languages, like Portuguese, French, Spanish, or Romanian, it would be a great asset to you as a learner. Latin became Vulgar Latin which then led to the splitting up of the language into the various Romance languages. Latin’s death happened through the natural process of language change, meaning it was gradual. It’s also one of the most famous dead languages.This is because it was (and is) taught in schools, because of its importance in the Christian church, and because of its use in legal or political situations. LatinĪs far as dead languages go, Latin is the most studied. What Are Some Dead Languages?Īs I mentioned before, there are thousands of dead or extinct languages that I could feature on this list. Sometimes there are radical language deaths where the native speakers stop speaking the language, whether by force or choice. This typically happens over a long period of time, but there are exceptions. Language death happens either when a language absorbs another language – usually a major language absorbing a minor – or the language loses its last native speaker. What caused so many of the languages once spoken around the world to die? Turns out, there are a lot of factors that can lead to the end of a language. How Many Dead Languages Are There?Īccording to various sources, there are thousands of dead languages. The difference is that dead languages may still have communities that speak the language. While scholars have tried to draw a clear line between the two, the division is still a little fuzzy.īecause both languages underwent the same process and no longer have any native speakers. In contrast, extinct languages are those that are no longer in current use and that do not have any speakers. Its uses tend to only exist in specific situations – perhaps academia or amongst individuals or in special circumstances – such as the use of Latin in the Vatican City.
Many often confuse dead languages with extinct languages, so I think it’s worth spending a moment to differentiate the two.Ī dead language is a language that is no longer the native language of a community, even if it is still used in other contexts.
#LANGUAGES LOST TO TIME HOW TO#
Before we get into how to learn a dead language, or even an extinct language, let’s take a step back and talk about what they are.
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