Language is among the earliest biological, cultural, and social adaptations that humans evolved with over time. Before writing systems were invented about 5,000 years ago, language was passed down orally. This explains why most languages are now extinct.
Today, only about 7,000 languages are used worldwide, and this number is dropping fast. UNESCO argues that about 40% of these languages are endangered, meaning they could soon end up on the dead language list. Since these languages are still in use, learning their etymology of languages helps you understand their influence in modern language. Keep reading to discover the top dead languages today.
What is a dead language?
Any language without native speakers alive is considered a dead language. That means the last person who spoke that language is either dead or has learned a new language and abandoned their mother tongue. Dead languages are studied, used in limited contexts, and can possibly be saved from becoming extinct.
Dead languages are different from endangered and extinct languages. A language is considered endangered if it is still in use, but the number of speakers is less than 1,000. On the contrary, extinct languages have zero native speakers and are not studied or used ceremoniously.
The Dead Language List: Top 7 Languages
Estimates show that a language dies every two weeks. At this rate, the predictions of half of the world’s languages becoming extinct by 2100 could come true. Let’s explore the top 7 languages that are considered dead today.
1. Latin
Latin originated from the Indo-European language group, the world’s largest group of languages. It was originally spoken by a small community in Latium. During the reign of the Roman Empire, the language quickly spread across Western and Southern Europe and parts of North Africa.
The language was widely used for centuries across religion, academics, and law, which cemented its use across the empire. Gradually, Latin evolved in phases, which linguists categorized into old, Classical, late, and Medieval Latin.
The preservation of the Latin language through these phases prevented its extinction. Its spoken form, Vulgar Latin, evolved into new languages, leaving no one speaking it natively. Today, you will find it referenced in medicine as a source for certain words and other fields such as law and religion.
2. Ancient Greek
The dead language list would be incomplete without Ancient Greek. This language was used between the second millennium BC and the Byzantine era. Like most languages, it evolved steadily, given its extensive use and influence across several regions.
Ancient Greece had a classical era, during which most cities spoke Classical Greek. This was when Greek philosophy emerged with figures like Plato and Aristotle. Alexander the Great sparked the spread throughout Egypt and parts of Central Asia during his conquest.
Today, no one speaks Greek or its common dialects, such as Koine, as their native language. While some of the classical Greek dialects, like Attic, vanished completely, others evolved into modern Greek, which is spoken by about 13 million people across Greece and Cyprus.
3. Sanskrit
The arrival of the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European family in the Indian subcontinent during the second millennium BC brought with them Sanskrit as their mother tongue. The ancient Indian elites used this language in literature, philosophy, and science.
Sanskrit was regarded as a sacred language, which explains its wide use in Hinduism and Buddhism’s religious texts. It was also used in poetry, drama, and other theatrical environments. With its vast and complex vocabulary, its influence grew fast, shaping dialects and languages that its speakers adopted later.
By the second millennium, Sanskrit’s usage had declined significantly. Most of its speakers abandoned it and picked up other languages, such as Hindi, which were derivatives of Prakrit. Today, some parts of India reserve Sanskrit for rituals and chants. Like most dead languages, Sanskrit is not used as a first language anywhere.
4.Old English
Also known as Anglo-Saxon, Old English was the first form of modern English spoken between the 5th and 12th centuries. This dead language originated from Germanic tribes of Northern Europe during their migration to Britain. Up to 2 million people used Old English at its height, with notable figures including King Alfred and the Beowulf bard.
When the Norman Conquest ended in 1066, the ruling class in England adopted Anglo-Norman French, marking the end of Old English usage by the elites. Regular people started to speak a simplified version known as Middle English.
The evolution of old to middle English marked its death as a language. Still, common words in English, like “water,” are descendants of old English. Today, Old English is studied by linguists and hobbyists for its historical relevance.
5. Old Norse
The Vikings and medieval Scandinavians used Old Norse as their mother tongue between 700 and 1350 CE. It’s quite surprising that a dead and not extinct language dates that far back. By the 11th century, Old Norse was Europe’s most geographically widespread language.
At that time, several Old Norse dialects were spoken across modern-day Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Over time, they were blended with other languages, such as English.
The death of Old Norse as a language was unusual. Rather than completely vanishing, it diverged and initiated the formation of early forms of other languages, such as Norwegian. No one speaks Old Norse from the Viking era in places like Iceland, but modern Iceland borrows heavily from it.
6. Sumerian
As one of the oldest written languages today, Sumerian has a rich documented history that spans generations. It started with builders of city-states like Ur in the southern part of Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq).
Sumerian was an essential language for the royals and elites. Old Sumerian progressively evolved to Neo-Sumerian, with minor changes to its linguistic characteristics. By 2000 BC, Sumerian had no native speakers.
The rule of King Sargon of Akkad was among the significant causes of death in the Sumerian language. When he united Sumerian and Akkadian, this language was replaced by the Akkadian language. Also, a drought around the same time led to the abandonment of the remaining speakers of Sumerian, marking its death.
7. Coptic
The language of ancient Egypt evolved in phases, with Coptic marking its end. After the Roman rule ended, Egypt adopted Coptic and used it in the Christian period as the native language of the population.
Coptic as a native language continued through the Arab invasion of Egypt, especially in the countryside. It was spoken alongside Greek before Arabic dominated due to the conquest.
By the 17th century, Coptic had died out completely with its last native speakers. This was because Islamic rule used Arabic in administration and commerce, thereby creating more dominance. To date, the Coptic Orthodox Church uses Coptic in religious activities, much like Roman Catholics use Latin. Therefore, its current use is basically for liturgical purposes.
Why care about the Dead Language List?
Dead languages are necessary today. While there are no native speakers of these languages, most countries use them in religion, academia, and medicine. Understanding this is important for you since you will encounter them when translating documents.
The interrelationship of languages is similarly important. As we have seen, most languages were part of language groups such as the Indo-European language family, and they evolved into other groups. Languages that evolved from similar groups share lexical and structural features, which makes translation easier. Therefore, learning dead languages helps you understand how meaning in modern languages is derived from them and how they’ve influenced other languages.