Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2015 February 14

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February 14

living languages

What is the oldest living language?--95.247.22.171 (talk) 10:24, 14 February 2015 (UTC)

Languages change gradually over time, and it's not possible to assign a certain moment in time where one language has become a different language. Although some languages are mixtures of other languages, many languages spoken today have developed gradually from prehistoric protolanguages. For example, many Australian Aboriginal languages have a rather short documented history, but no one knows how these languages have developed in the millennia before the first written sources. So, apart from arbitrary definitions, there's no way to answer your question, unfortunately.

You may be interested however in the article List of languages by first written accounts. The earliest attested language on the list that is still living in some form today is arguably Greek, though Coptic, descended from ancient Egyptian, is used to this day as a liturgical language. Again, this does not imply anything about languages not on the list, which did not survive in written form. - Lindert (talk) 10:53, 14 February 2015 (UTC)

Because languages change continuously (there was no moment when, for example, people stopped speaking Middle English and started speaking Modern English) in a sense we must assume that all living languages are equally old – with a few exceptions: pidgins, creoles, constructed languages and most sign languages have histories with known discontinuities. —Tamfang (talk) 08:28, 15 February 2015 (UTC)

Icelandic has changed very little in the past thousand years. Sanskrit is still used, and is in fact still an official language in some parts of India. Latin is still used in the Vatican (but not Classical Latin). KägeTorä - (^影_虎) (Chin Wag) 14:27, 17 February 2015 (UTC)

The Etruscan language is only mostly dead, as modern humans still try to read it. Might be the oldest gibberish we have. InedibleHulk (talk) 02:51, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

Or no, that distinction seems to belong to Jiahu symbols. InedibleHulk (talk) 02:53, 21 February 2015 (UTC)

English understanding problem

Peeps, I don't understand/don't get the following: "Education through recreation is the opportunity to learn in a seamless fashion through all of life's activities." Can someone explain this in a more simpler way please. -- (Angelos|Angelus (talk) 19:44, 14 February 2015 (UTC))

FYI... I may be wrong, but I think your signature is supposed to refer to your actual user ID. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 07:24, 15 February 2015 (UTC)

Well, I've seen a few people who have different names including their original... Plus, I'll be dead if my girlfriend finds out. So I have to... -- (Angelos|Angelus (talk) 07:54, 15 February 2015 (UTC))

This is a poor way to keep a secret! —Tamfang (talk) 08:30, 15 February 2015 (UTC)

Lol. I couldn't find anything better; religious studies manipulated me... -- (Angelos|Angelus (talk) 18:38, 15 February 2015 (UTC))

No one objected when (for a while) my sig was my mundane name. —Tamfang (talk) 08:30, 15 February 2015 (UTC)

To paraphrase and break it down more: 'Learning through playing allows one to learn more easily. This easier learning applies to many subjects.' Ian.thomson (talk) 19:56, 14 February 2015 (UTC)

"You can continue to learn through doing things you enjoy all through your life"? AndyTheGrump (talk) 19:56, 14 February 2015 (UTC)

We do this kind of thing when teaching volunteers on archaeological digs. We try and make the learning process fun so that people are lore likely to retain information. This plus a hearty helping of compliment sandwiches (compliment—suggestion—compliment) help people to learn better and enjoy what they're doing so that they're pros after a week. You're more likely to remember something you learned in a fun context. Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie | ^{Say Shalom!} 26 Shevat 5775 03:48, 15 February 2015 (UTC)

And note that the two examples above substitute more common English words for multi-syllabic Latin-based words. Typically straightforward English is easier to comprehend "get". ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:12, 14 February 2015 (UTC)

I know, and I'm happy learning new things... This is the best school (Wikipedia) I've been to, and the best teachers (Wikipedians) I've ever met in my life. Well, every since I started self-teaching... I'd be happy if I could meet you all in the near future...whoever helps out all the time here in the Ref desk (especially me...) -- (Angelos|Angelus (talk) 07:51, 15 February 2015 (UTC))

I had considered recommending a thesaurus (instead of a dictionary), though some of the more comprehensive once can potentially lead one astray on more particular meanings of words (then again, so can a dictionary). Ian.thomson (talk) 20:14, 14 February 2015 (UTC)

Lol. -- (Angelos|Angelus (talk) 07:51, 15 February 2015 (UTC))

Does anybody know which 'Thesaurus' & 'Dictionary' will provide nothing but formal words only. I'm sick and tired of using 'a' for 'apple', I wish to start using 'a' for 'aberrant'... -- (Angelos|Angelus (talk) 07:51, 15 February 2015 (UTC))

* In other words, Mo, hemless slacks are the best for masturbation. μηδείς (talk) 03:19, 15 February 2015 (UTC)

@Medeis: Sorry, I have to do this since it is available, i.e., -- (Angelos|Angelus (talk) 18:33, 15 February 2015 (UTC))

Resolved