A Dead Language

What is a dead language, and is it really worth learning one? Plus advice on how you can practise speaking a dead language.
Table of contents

It makes The Smiths feel inevitable. On that note of Britishness, however, the case for dead languages hits a specific bump in the road. Thus far I've been discussing vernacular languages, but the arguments stand for the classical languages — Latin and Greek. But there is no getting around the fact that, in contemporary Britain, the study of Latin and Greek is not just a matter of battling the gerundive.

The 'classics' are indivisibly attached to class difference. No matter how many state schools take it up, Latin and Greek have historically been the preserve of feepaying schools, Oxbridge candidates and, ultimately, the ruling elite. We may see the Roman and Greek world in television history programming and in blockbuster movies, but we read their words inscribed on the walls of buildings where power reside. If classical languages weren't already associated with very posh people, this chunk of bluster by Boris Johnson ought to have done the trick.

Dead Languages: How (and Why) to Learn a Dead Language

Well, education reform is obviously beyond the reach of the lucid at the moment. We might as well start with a change in the way we think about extinct languages. Begin with the easier ones, the ones closer to the tongues we speak today. Working back through the stories that you have grown up loving without even realising it, you'll be surprised by how quickly you can slip into easy conversation with the voices of the European past.

Start with the gorgeous Middle English lyrics , perhaps, looking words up in the Middle English Dictionary.

What is a Dead Language?

Follow what leads you find there. Or, if you're feeling very ambitious, go in a different direction up the Indo-European family tree and take some Sanskrit classes. It is older than either Latin or Greek, but related to both. Since the discovery of the Indo-European language connection in the late eighteenth century, Sanskrit played an important role in European comparative linguistics and thus was taught in British universities.

Although it is certainly still academically alive, Sanskrit no longer has the vogueish status it enjoyed in nineteenth century Britain. If you're interested in Indo-European linguistics but Latin and Greek feel politically alienating or perhaps just plain boring, you could do much worse than learning — or sending your child to a school that teaches — Sanskrit. Its contemporary Indian language descendants have played a big part in British history, after all. We make many ill-thought-out assumptions about "dead" languages.

Navigation menu

People are forever throwing out truisms about the "logical" nature of Latin while not knowing much about it, or casually deriding things as "medieval" when they aren't at all cf: Stop watching Game of Thrones. Beowulf is better and features less rape. Do it for the sake of your language skills, do it to connect with the past — but above all, do it because the literature is beautiful. Topics Education The case for language learning. Order by newest oldest recommendations.

Many learners use hymns to study the language, but there are a few additional resources available for this interested in learning the language. Mandan is a Siouan language that was spoken in North Dakota. It was one of about three languages to die in with the passing of Dr. The language is currently taught in schools, and there are extensive materials available for the language at the North Dakota Heritage Center. There are two main dialects: The latter fell out of use, and only Nuptare survived into the 20th century. The Mandan language has some similarities to the Welsh language and at one point, scholars even believed the language to be displaced Welsh.

In the s, Prince Maximilian of Wied created a comparison list of Mandan and Welsh words, but the validity of these origins is still debated.

Extinct language

Sanskrit is an ancient Indian language and the liturgical language of Hinduism. It was the lingua franca of much of the east for more than three thousand years. The Gothic language is an extinct language that is from the Germanic language family. The Codex Argenteus , a translation of the Bible produced in the 6th century but copied from a 4th century version , is the most well-known source for Gothic, but the language has a significant body of texts in comparison with other Eastern Germanic languages.

Language Death: How do languages die?

The language began to decline for a variety of reasons during the 6th century including geographic isolation and a defeat by the Franks. By the 9th century, it fell out of use. There may be evidence, however, that it was used until the 18th century but the versions of the language that survived past the 9th century are significantly different. It is argued that they may, in fact, be different languages. The North Germanic language, Old Norse, was spoken by Scandinavians between the 9th and 13th centuries.

During the 10th century, Old Norse was the most widely spoken European language — it reached from settlements in North America Vinland all the way to Volga in present-day Russia. It would help with Faroese, Danish and Swedish as well. Ancient Greek, the language of Homer, Aristotle, and Socrates, is a language of intellects it has been the subject of scholarly studies since the Renaissance.

Many of the words used in scientific fields were taken from Ancient Greek, and tech industries are following suit. If you work in these industries, studying the language would be an interesting way to further explore your field and understand the origins of the terms you use each day. As with Latin, texts such as Harry Potter and Asterix are translated into the language.

Why should you learn a dead language, or even an extinct language? How is the language learned? Linguists often work to reconstruct languages based on fragments of writing — letters, documents, or records — they come across. They patch these together to estimate what the language sounds like and what the missing pieces might be. Today, many of the dead languages that learners are most interested in have grammar or course books readily available. Learners then use the text in the target language and a translation of the same work, using the two to study the language. For more recent dead languages, audio often exists.

A language like Eyak, an Alaskan language, has audio, a dictionary, collections of folktales, and grammar. The Internet is another incredible resource for those interested in dead languages. Before, finding others who shared your passion for say Old English or Biblical Hebrew was difficult if not impossible. Nowadays, however, a quick Google search changes this. As a learner, these people are an invaluable resource.

Error (Forbidden)

To practise speaking a dead language, you just need one person, one speaker or fellow learner who is just a little bit better than you. Try to create a structured learning process with them. Some teachers can definitely be worth any price. If they are a fellow learner who just wants to help you, it puts a little bit more of the lesson structure preparation on you. Much like English, French, Korean or Arabic, people once loved, laughed and experienced life through languages like Hunnic, Rumsen, or Norn.

Reading and learning these languages offers you the chance to connect with those who cursed, philosophized or debated in them and grow more deeply connected with history. Perhaps languages that are extinct today may regain a place in modern society.

Over 1,200,000 people love Rocket Languages

Hebrew was extinct for around two millennia, but a nationalist movement in the 19th century revived the language. Today, there are millions of speakers.


  • Why You Should Learn a Dead Language!
  • Why you should learn a dead language.
  • Annes World: A New Century of Anne of Green Gables!
  • .
  • The Global Commonwealth of Citizens: Toward Cosmopolitan Democracy.

Cornish, a language spoken in Cornwall, England, is headed along a similar path. If you are, what are you doing to learn or connect with them? This post contains affiliate links.