List of languages by first written accounts


This is a list of languages arranged by the approximate dates of the oldest existing texts recording a complete sentence in the language. It does not include undeciphered scripts, though there are various claims without wide acceptance, which, if substantiated, would push backward the first attestation of certain languages. It also does not include inscriptions consisting of isolated words or names from a language.
In most cases, some form of the language had already been spoken considerably earlier than the dates of the earliest extant samples provided here.
A written record may encode a stage of a language corresponding to an earlier time, either as a result of oral tradition, or because the earliest source is a copy of an older manuscript that was lost. An oral tradition of epic poetry may typically bridge a few centuries, and in rare cases, over a millennium. An extreme case is the Vedic Sanskrit of the Rigveda: the earliest parts of this text may date to 1500 BC, while the oldest known manuscripts date to 1040 AD.
Similarly the oldest Avestan texts, the Gathas, are believed to have been composed before 1000 BC, but the oldest Avestan manuscripts date from the 13th century AD.
For languages that have developed out of a known predecessor, dates provided here follow conventional terminology. For example, Old French developed gradually out of Vulgar Latin, and the Oaths of Strasbourg listed are the earliest text that is classified as "Old French".

Before 1000 BC

Writing first appeared in the Near East at the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. A very limited number of languages are attested in the area from before the Bronze Age collapse and the rise of alphabetic writing:
In East Asia towards the end of the second millennium BC, the Sino-Tibetan family was represented by Old Chinese.
There are also a number of undeciphered Bronze Age records:
Earlier symbols, such as the Jiahu symbols, Vinča symbols and the marks on the Dispilio tablet, are believed to be proto-writing, rather than representations of language.
DateLanguageAttestationNotes
2690 BCEgyptianEgyptian hieroglyphs in the tomb of Seth-Peribsen, Umm el-Qa'ab"proto-hieroglyphic" inscriptions from about 3300 BC
SumerianInstructions of Shuruppak, the Kesh temple hymn and other cuneiform texts from Shuruppak and Abu Salabikh "proto-literate" period from about 3500 BC ; administrative records at Uruk and Ur from 2900 BC.
c. 2400 BCCanaaniteSemitic protective spells attested in an Egyptian inscription in the pyramid of UnasInitial attempts at deciphering the texts failed due to Egyptologists mistaking the Semitic spells for Egyptian, thus rendering them unintelligible.
2400 BCAkkadiana few dozen pre-Sargonic texts from Mari and other sites in northern BabyloniaSome proper names attested in Sumerian texts at Tell Harmal from about 2800 BC. Fragments of the Legend of Etana at Tell Harmal 2600 BC.
2400 BCEblaiteEbla tablets
2250 BCElamiteAwan dynasty peace treaty with Naram-Sin
Hurriantemple inscription of Tish-atal in Urkesh
1700 BCHittiteAnitta text in Hittite cuneiformIsolated Hittite words and names occur in Assyrian texts found at Kültepe, from the 19th century BC.
PalaicHittite texts CTH 751–754
1450 BCMycenaean GreekLinear B tablet archive from KnossosThese are mostly administrative lists, with some complete sentences.
1400 BCLuwianHieroglyphic Luwian monumental inscriptions, Cuneiform Luwian tablets in the Hattusa archivesIsolated hieroglyphs appear on seals from the 18th century BC.
1400 BCHatticHittite texts CTH 725–745
1300 BCUgaritictablets from Ugarit
1200 BCOld Chineseoracle bone and bronze inscriptions from the reign of Wu Ding

First millennium BC

The earliest known alphabetic inscriptions, at Serabit el-Khadim, appear to record a Northwest Semitic language, though only one or two words have been deciphered.
In the Early Iron Age, alphabetic writing spread across the Near East and southern Europe. With the emergence of the Brahmic family of scripts, languages of India are attested from after about 300 BC.
There is only fragmentary evidence for languages such as Iberian, Tartessian, Galatian, Thracian and Messapian.
The North Picene language of the Novilara Stele from 600 BC has not been deciphered.
The earliest examples of the Central American Isthmian script date from 500 BC, but a proposed decipherment remains controversial.
DateLanguageAttestationNotes
1000 BCPhoenicianAhiram epitaph
10th century BCAramaicroyal inscriptions from Aramean city-states
10th century BCHebrew or PhoenicianGezer calendarPaleo-Hebrew employed a slightly modified Phoenician alphabet, hence the uncertainty between which is attested to here.
850 BCAmmoniteAmman Citadel Inscription
840 BCMoabiteMesha Stele
800 BCPhrygianPaleo-Phrygian inscriptions at Gordion
8th century BCSabaean mainly boustrophedon inscriptions from Yemen
700 BCEtruscanproto-Corinthian vase found at Tarquinia
7th century BCLatinVetusia Inscription and Fibula Praenestina
600 BCLydianinscriptions from Sardis
600 BCCarianinscriptions from Caria and Egypt
600 BCFaliscanCeres inscription found at Falerii
Umbriantext painted on the handle of a krater found near Tolfa
550 BCTaymaniticEsk 168 and 177The Taymanitic script is mentioned in an 8th century BC document from Carchemish.
550 BCSouth PiceneWarrior of Capestrano
mid-6th century BCVeneticfunerary inscriptions at Este
500 BCOld PersianBehistun inscription
500 BCLeponticinscriptions CO-48 from Pristino and VA-6 from Vergiate Inscriptions from the early 6th century consist of isolated names.
300 BCOscanIovilae from CapuaCoin legends date from the late 5th century BC.
3rd century BCGaulishTransalpine Gaulish inscriptions in Massiliote Greek script
3rd century BCVolscianTabula Veliterna
260 BCPrakrit Edicts of AshokaPottery inscriptions from Anuradhapura have been dated 400 BC.
early 2nd century BCTamilrock inscription ARE 465/1906 at Mangulam caves, Tamil Nadu 5th century BC inscriptions on potsherds found in Kodumanal, Porunthal and Palani have been claimed as Tamil-Brahmi, but this is disputed. Pottery fragments dated to the 6th century BC and inscribed with personal names have been found at Keeladi, but the dating is disputed.
2nd century BCMeroiticgraffiti on the temple of Amun at Dukki Gel, near Kerma
146 BCNumidianPunic-Libyan Inscription at Dougga
100 BCCeltiberianBotorrita plaques
1st century BCParthianostraca at Nisa and Qumis
1st century BCSanskritAyodhya Inscription of Dhana, and Hathibada Ghosundi Inscriptions The Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman is the oldest long text.

First millennium AD

From Late Antiquity, we have for the first time languages with earliest records in manuscript tradition. Thus, Old Armenian is first attested in the Armenian Bible translation.
The Vimose inscriptions in the Elder Futhark runic alphabet appear to record Proto-Norse names. Some scholars interpret the Negau helmet inscription as a Germanic fragment.
DateLanguageAttestationNotes
150BactrianRabatak inscription
200Proto-Norseinscription NITHIJO TAWIDE on shield grip from the Illerup Ådal weapon depositSingle Proto-Norse words are found on the Øvre Stabu spearhead and the Vimose Comb.
292MayanStela 29 from TikalA brief undeciphered inscription at San Bartolo is dated to the 3rd century BC.
312–313SogdianAncient Letters, found near Dunhuang
328ArabicNamara inscription
350Ge'ezinscriptions of Ezana of Aksum
350ChamĐông Yên Châu inscription found near Tra Kiêu
4th centuryGothicGothic Bible, translated by WulfilaA few problematic Gothic runic inscriptions may date to the early 4th century.
400Tocharian BTHT 274 and similar manuscriptsSome Tocharian names and words have been found in Prakrit documents from Krorän dated 300.
430GeorgianBir el Qutt inscriptions
450KannadaHalmidi inscriptionKavirajamarga is the oldest literary work.
500Armenianinscription at the Tekor BasilicaSaint Mesrob Mashtots is traditionally held to have translated an Armenian Bible in 434.
510Old Dutchformula for freeing a serf in the Malbergse Glossen on the Salic lawA word in the mid-5th century Bergakker inscription yields the oldest evidence of Dutch morphology, but there is no consensus on the interpretation of the rest of the text.
second half of 6th centuryOld High GermanPforzen buckle
575TeluguErragudipadu inscriptionTelugu place names are found in Prakrit inscriptions from the 2nd century AD.
591KoreanSinseong Stele in Namsan
611KhmerAngkor Borei inscription K. 557/600
650Old Japanesemokkan wooden tabletsPoems in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki have been transmitted in copied manuscripts.
650–700Old UdiSinai palimpsest M13
683Old MalayKedukan Bukit Inscription
7th centuryTumshuqese and Khotanese Sakamanuscripts mainly from DunhuangSome fragments of Khotanese Saka have been dated to the 5th and 6th centuries
7th centuryBejaostracon from Saqqara-
late 7th centuryPyuHpayahtaung funeral urn inscription of kings of Sri Ksetra
700Old Englishrunic inscription on the Franks CasketThe Undley bracteate and West Heslerton brooch have fragmentary runic inscriptions.
732Old TurkicOrkhon inscriptions
750Old IrishWürzburg glossesPrimitive Irish Ogham inscriptions from the 4th century consist of personal names, patronymics and/or clan names.
765Old TibetanLhasa Zhol PillarDated entries in the Tibetan Annals begin at 650, but extant manuscripts postdate the Tibetan occupation of Dunhuang in 786.
late 8th centuryBretonPraecepta medica A botanical manuscript in Latin and Breton
750–900Old FrisianWesteremden yew-stick
800Old Norserunic inscriptions
804Javaneseinitial part of the Sukabumi inscription
9th centuryMalayalamVazhappally copper plateRamacaritam is the oldest literary work.
9th centuryOld WelshCadfan Stone
842Old FrenchOaths of Strasbourg
862Old Church Slavonicreligious literature translated by Cyril and MethodiusDeveloped in the Preslav Literary School and Ohrid Literary School, the two major cultural centres of the Bulgarian Empire.
882Balinesedated royal inscription
900Old OccitanTomida femina
959–974LeoneseNodicia de Kesos
960–963ItalianPlaciti CassinesiThe Veronese Riddle is considered a mixture of Italian and Latin.
986KhitanMemorial for Yelü Yanning
Konkani/Marathiinscription on the Gommateshwara statueThe inscription is in Devanagari script, but the language has been disputed between Marathi and Konkani scholars.

1000–1500 AD

DateLanguageAttestationNotes
972–1093SloveneFreising manuscripts
10th centuryRomansha sentence in the Würzburg manuscript-
1000Old East SlavicNovgorod Codex
1000Basque, AragoneseGlosas Emilianenses
1028CatalanJurament Feudal
11th centuryMozarabickharjas appended to Arabic and Hebrew poemsIsolated words are found in glossaries from the 8th century.
1100CroatianBaška tablet
1100OssetianZelančuk inscription
1106IrishLebor na hUidre
1113BurmeseMyazedi inscription
1114Newarpalm-leaf manuscript from Uku Baha, Patan
Jurchenstele in KyongwonAisin-Gioro Ulhicun has identified an inscription found on the Arkhara River as Jurchen and dated it to 1127.
1160–1170Middle DutchHet Leven van Sint Servaes by Heinrich von Veldeke
1175Galician-PortugueseThe Notícia de Torto and the will of Afonso II of Portugal, dated 1214, are often cited as the first documents written in Galician-Portuguese. A date prior to 1175 has been proposed for the Pacto dos Irmãos Pais.
1186–1190SerbianMiroslav Gospel
1189BosnianCharter of Ban Kulin
1192Old HungarianFuneral Sermon and PrayerThere are isolated fragments in earlier charters such as the charter of Veszprém and the charter of Tihany.
1200SpanishCantar de mio CidPreviously the Glosas Emilianenses and the Nodicia de kesos were considered the oldest texts in Spanish; however, later analyses concluded them to be Aragonese and Leonese, respectively.
1200FinnicBirch bark letter no. 292
1200–1230Czechfounding charter of the Litoměřice chapter
1224–1225MongolianGenghis stone
early 13th centuryPunjabipoetry of Fariduddin Ganjshakar
early 13th centuryCornishprophesy in the cartulary of Glasney CollegeA 9th century gloss in De Consolatione Philosophiae by Boethius: ud rocashaas is controversially interpreted.
1250KashmiriMahanayakaprakash by Shitikantha
1270Old PolishBook of Henryków
1272Yiddishblessing in the Worms mahzor
1274Western LombardLiber di Tre Scricciur, by Bonvesin de la Riva
1292ThaiRamkhamhaeng steleSome scholars argue that the stele is a forgery.
Tigrinyaa text of laws found in Logosarda
1300Batak
1350Oghuz Turkic Imadaddin Nasimi
1369Old PrussianBasel Epigram
1372KomiAbur inscriptions
early 15th centuryBengali, Assamese and other Bengali-Assamese languagespoems of ChandidasThe 10th-century Charyapada are written in a language ancestral to Bengali, Assamese and Oriya.
1440VietnameseQuốc âm thi tậpIsolated names in Chữ nôm date from the early 13th century.
1462AlbanianFormula e pagëzimit, a baptismal formula in a letter of Archbishop Pal EngjëllSome scholars interpret a few lines in the Bellifortis text as Albanian.
1470Finnishsingle sentence in a German travel journalThe first printed book in Finnish is Abckiria by Mikael Agricola.
1470MalteseIl Cantilena
1485Yibronze bell inscription in Dafang County, Guizhou
Tuluinscriptions in an adaptation of Malayam script

After 1500

DateLanguageAttestationNotes-
1503Lithuanianhand-written Lord's Prayer, Hail Mary and CreedKatekizmas by Martynas Mažvydas was the first printed book in Lithuanian.-
1517BelarusianPsalter of Francysk Skaryna-
1521RomanianNeacșu's LetterCyrillic orthographic manual of Constantin Kostentschi from 1420 documents earlier written usage. Four 16th century documents, namely Codicele Voronetean, Psaltirea Scheiana, Psaltirea Hurmuzachi and Psaltirea Voroneteana, are arguably copies of 15th century originals.-
1530LatvianNicholas Ramm's translation of a hymn-
1535EstonianWanradt-Koell catechism-
1536Modern Portuguese by Fernão de Oliveira.by convention.-
1549SylhetiTalib Husan by Ghulam Husanearliest extant manuscript found using the Sylheti Nagri script.-
1550Classical NahuatlDoctrina cristiana en lengua española y mexicanaThe Breve y mas compendiosa doctrina cristiana en lengua mexicana y castellana was possibly the first printed book in the New World. No copies are known to exist today.-
Standard DutchStatenbijbelThe Statenbijbel is commonly accepted to be the start of Standard Dutch, but various experiments were performed around 1550 in Flanders and Brabant. Although none proved to be lasting they did create a semi-standard and many formed the base for the Statenbijbel.-
1554Wastekgrammar by Andrés de Olmos-
1557Kikongoa catechism-
1561UkrainianPeresopnytsia Gospel-
1593TagalogDoctrina Cristiana-
1600Classical QuechuaHuarochirí Manuscript by a writer identified only as "Thomás"Paraphrased and annotated by Francisco de Ávila in 1608.-
1600Buginese-
1610ManxBook of Common Prayer--
1619Pite Samiprimer and missal by Nicolaus AndreausEarly literary works were mainly based on dialects underlying modern Ume Sami and Pite Sami. First grammar and dictionary in 1738.-
1638Ternatetreaty with Dutch governor-
1639GuaraniTesoro de la lengua guaraní by Antonio Ruíz de Montoya-
1650Ubykh, Abkhaz, Adyghe and MingrelianTravel Book of Evliya Çelebi-
1651Pashtocopy of Xayru 'l-bayān in the library of the University of TübingenThe Pata Khazana, purporting to date from the 8th century, is considered by most scholars to be a forgery.-
1663MassachusettMamusse Wunneetupanatamwe Up-Biblum GodAlso known as the Eliot Indian Bible or the Algonquian Bible-
1693Tunisian Arabiccopy of a Tunisian poem written by Sheykh Hassan el-KarrayBefore 1700, lyrics of songs were not written in Tunisian Arabic but in Classical Arabic.-
1695Serigrammar and vocabulary compiled by Adamo GilgNo longer known to exist.-
HausaRiwayar Annabi Musa by Abdallah Suka-
18th centuryLíngua Geral of São PauloVocabulário da Língua Geral dos Índios das Américas Another source is the by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius and the by José Joaquim Machado de Oliveira. The language is now extinct.-
1711Swahililetters written in Kilwa-
1728Northern SamiCatechismAn early wordlist was published in 1589 by Richard Hakluyt. First grammar in 1743-
1736GreenlandicGrönländische Grammatica by Paul EgedeA poor-quality wordlist was recorded by John Davis in 1586.-
1743Chinese Pidgin Englishsentence recorded in Macau by George Anson-
1757Haitian Creole Lisette quitté la plaine by Duvivier de la Mahautière-
1788Sydney languagenotebooks of William Dawes-
1795Afrikaansdoggerel verses-
1800Inuktitut"Eskimo Grammar" by Moravian missionariesA list of 17 words was recorded in 1576 by Christopher Hall, an assistant to Martin Frobisher.-
1806TswanaHeinrich LictensteinUpon the Language of the BeetjuanaThe first complete Bible translation was published in 1857 by Robert Moffat.-
1819CherokeeSequoyah's Cherokee syllabary-
1820Maorigrammar by Thomas Kendall and Samuel LeeKendal began compiling wordlists in 1814.-
1820Aleutdescription by Rasmus RaskA short word list was collected by James King in 1778.-
1823XhosaJohn Bennie's Xhosa reading sheetComplete Bible translation 1859-
VaiVai syllabary created by Momolu Duwalu Bukele.-
1833Sothoreduced to writing by French missionaries Casalis and ArboussetFirst grammar book 1841 and complete Bible translation 1881-
1837ZuluIncwadi Yokuqala YabafundayoFirst grammar book 1859 and complete Bible translation 1883-
1839Lule Samipamphlet by Lars Levi LaestadiusDictionary and grammar by Karl Bernhard Wiklund in 1890-1891-
1845SantaliA Santali Primer by Jeremiah Phillips-
1851Sakha Über die Sprache der Jakuten, a grammar by Otto von BöhtlingkWordlists were included in Noord en Oost Tartarije by Nicolaas Witsen and Das Nord-und Ostliche Theil von Europa und Asia by Philip Johan von Strahlenberg.-
1854Inari Samigrammar by Elias LönnrotPrimer and catechism published in 1859.-
1856Gamilaraayarticles by William RidleyBasic vocabulary collected by Thomas Mitchell in 1832.-
1872Vendareduced to writing by the Berlin MissionariesFirst complete Bible translation 1936-
1878Kildin SamiGospel of Matthew-
1882MirandeseO dialecto mirandez by José Leite de VasconcelosThe same author also published the first book written in Mirandese: Flores mirandezas -
1884Skolt SamiGospel of Matthew in Cyrillic-
1885CarrierBarkerville Jail Text, written in pencil on a board in the then recently created Carrier syllabicsAlthough the first known text by native speakers dates to 1885, the first record of the language is a list of words recorded in 1793 by Alexander MacKenzie.-
1885Motugrammar by W.G. Lawes-
1886Guugu Yimidhirrnotes by Johann Flierl, Wilhelm Poland and Georg Schwarz, culminating in Walter Roth's The Structure of the Koko Yimidir Language in 1901.A list of 61 words recorded in 1770 by James Cook and Joseph Banks was the first written record of an Australian language.-
1891Galelagrammatical sketch by M.J. van Baarda-
1893Oromotranslation of the New Testament by Onesimos Nesib, assisted by Aster Ganno-
1903Lingalagrammar by Egide de Boeck-
1905Istro-RomanianCalindaru lu rumeri din Istrie by Andrei Glavina and Constantin DiculescuCompilation of Istro-Romanian popular words, proverbs and stories.
1940Kamoromaterials by Peter DrabbeA Kamoro wordlist recorded in 1828 by Modera and Müller, passengers on a Dutch ship, is the oldest record of any of the non-Austronesian languages of New Guinea.-
1968Southern Ndebelesmall booklet published with praises of their kings and a little historyA translation of the New Testament of the Bible was completed in 1986; translation of the Old Testament is ongoing.-
1982Gooniyandisurvey by William McGregor-

By family

Attestation by major language family:
DateLanguageAttestationNotes
1879Volapükcreated by Johann Martin Schleyer
1887EsperantoUnua Librocreated by L. L. Zamenhof
1907Idobased on Esperanto
1917Quenyacreated by J. R. R. Tolkien
1928Novialcreated by Otto Jespersen
1935SonaSona, an auxiliary neutral languagecreated by Kenneth Searight
1943InterglossaLater became Glosacreated by Lancelot Hogben
1951InterlinguaInterlingua-English Dictionarycreated by the International Auxiliary Language Association
1955Loglancreated by James Cooke Brown
1984Klingon'created by Marc Okrand
1987Lojbanbased on Loglan, created by the Logical Language Group
2001Atlantean'created by Marc Okrand
2005–6Na'viAvatarcreated by Dr. Paul Frommer and James Cameron
2009Dothrakicreated by George R. R. Martin and David J. Peterson for Game of Thrones
2013Kiliki, created by Madhan Karky for