Editing Classical language (section)

{{short description|Old language with established literature or use}}
{{For|classical languages in India|Classical languages of India}}{{Short lead|date=September 2024}}
According to the definition by [[George L. Hart]], a '''classical language''' is any [[language]] with an independent literary tradition and a large body of ancient written [[literature]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hart|first1=George|title=Statement on the status of Tamil as a Classical Language|url=https://southasia.berkeley.edu/statement-status-tamil-classical-language|publisher=Institute for South Asia Studies, UC Berkeley|access-date=18 October 2021}}</ref> 

Classical languages are usually [[Extinct language|extinct languages]]. Those that are still in use today tend to show highly [[Diglossia|diglossic]] characteristics in areas where they are used, as the difference between spoken and written language has widened over time.