Editing Classical language (section)

== General usage ==
{{Original research|date=November 2022}}
{{verify|section|date=March 2023}}
The following languages are generally taken to have a "classical" stage. Such a stage is limited in time and is considered "classical" if it comes to be regarded as a literary "golden age" retrospectively.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} Thus, [[Ancient Greek|Classical Greek]] is the language of 5th to 4th century BC [[Classical Athens|Athens]] and, as such, only a small subset of the varieties of the [[Greek language]] as a whole. A "classical" period usually corresponds to a flowering of literature following an "archaic" period, such as [[Classical Latin]] succeeding [[Old Latin]], [[Sumerian language|Classical Sumerian]] succeeding Archaic Sumerian, Classical Sanskrit succeeding [[Vedic Sanskrit]], [[Persian language#Classical Persian|Classical Persian]] succeeding [[Old Persian]]. This is partly a matter of terminology, and for example [[Old Chinese]] is taken to include rather than precede [[Classical Chinese]]. In some cases, such as those of [[Persian language|Persian]] and [[Tamil language|Tamil]], the "classical" stage corresponds to the earliest attested literary variant.<ref>{{Citation| last=Ramanujan|first= A. K.|author-link = A. K. Ramanujan|title=Poems of Love and War: From the Eight Anthologies and the Ten Long Poems of Classical Tamil|publisher= New York: Columbia University Press. Pp. 329|year = 1985|isbn=0-231-05107-7|url =https://books.google.com/books?id=nIybE0HRvdQC}}Quote (p.ix–x) "Tamil, one of the four classical languages of India, is a Dravidian language ... These poems (''[[Sangam literature]]'', 1st century BC to 3rd century AD) are 'classical,' i.e. early, ancient; they are also 'classics,' i.e. works that have stood the test of time, the founding works of a whole tradition. Not to know them is not to know a unique and major poetic achievement of Indian civilization."</ref>

===Antiquity===
* [[Sumerian language#Stages|Classical Sumerian]] (literary language of [[Sumer]], c. 26th to 23rd centuries BC) [[Sumerogram]]s were used in [[Cuneiform]] even for non-Sumerian texts until the writing system went out of use around the first century AD
* [[Egyptian language#Middle Egyptian|Middle Egyptian]] (literary language of [[Ancient Egypt]] from c. the 20th century BC to the 4th century AD)
* [[Akkadian language#Development|Old Babylonian]] (the Akkadian language from c. 20th to 16th centuries BC, the imitated standard for later literary works)
* [[Akkadian language#Development|Middle Assyrian]] (the Akkadian language from c. 16th to 13th centuries BC)
* [[Vedic Sanskrit]] (the form of Sanskrit before Classical standardization was used in Vedic texts from c. 15th to 5th centuries BC)
* [[Biblical Hebrew|Classical Hebrew]] (the language of the [[Hebrew Bible|Tanakh]], in particular of the [[Nevi'im|prophetic books]] of c. the 7th and 6th centuries BC)
* [[Old Persian]] (court language of the [[Achaemenid Empire]], 6th to 4th centuries BC)
* [[Classical Chinese]] (based on the literary language, [[Yayan]], used in the capital [[Luoyang]] of the [[Eastern Zhou|Eastern Zhou Dynasty]] from c. the 5th century BC)
* [[Ancient Greek|Classical Greek]] ([[Attic Greek|Attic dialect]] of the 5th century BC)
* [[Sanskrit#Classical Sanskrit|Classical Sanskrit]] (described by [[Pāṇini|Pāṇini's]] [[Aṣṭādhyāyī|Ashtadhyayi]] of the 4th century BC)<ref>[http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Panini.html Article "Panini" from ''The Columbia Encyclopedia'' (Sixth Edition) at Encyclopedia.com]</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HR-_LK5kl18C&pg=PA21 |title= The Sanskrit epics, Part 2| volume = 12|first= J. L. |last= Brockington|page = 28|publisher = BRILL| year=1998|isbn=978-90-04-10260-6}}</ref>
* [[Maharashtri Prakrit]] (a [[Prakrit]] language, was the official language of the Satavahana dynasty c. 3rd century BC to 3rd century AD)
* [[Old Tamil|Classical Tamil]] ([[Sangam literature]] c. 3rd century BC to 3rd century AD, defined by [[Tolkāppiyam]])<ref>{{Citation|last=Zvelebil|first=Kamil|year = 1997|title=The Smile of Murugan: On Tamil Literature of South India: On Tamil Literature of South India|publisher=BRILL Academic Publishers. p. 378|isbn=90-04-03591-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VF2VMUoY_okC&q=smile+of+murugan}} Quote: "Chart 1 literature: 1. the "Urtext" of the ''Tolkappiyam'', i.e. the first two sections, ''Eluttatikaram'' and ''Collatikaram'' minus later interpolations, '''ca. 100 BC'''  2. the earliest strata of bardic poetry in the so-called ''Cankam'' anthologies, '''ca. 1 Cent. BC–2 Cent. AD.'''"</ref>
* [[Pali#Pali literature|Classical Pali]] (Buddhist canon used this language from 2nd centuries BC)
* [[Classical Latin]] (literary language of the 1st century BC)
* [[Mandaic language|Classical Mandaic]] (literary [[Aramaic]] of [[Mandaeism]], 1st century AD)
* [[Syriac language#History|Classical Syriac]] (literary [[Aramaic]] of [[Syriac Christianity]],  3rd to 5th centuries)
* [[Middle Persian]] (court language of the [[Sasanian Empire|Sassanid Empire]], 3rd to 7th centuries)
* [[Coptic language|Classical Coptic]] (language of Egypt and the [[Coptic Orthodox Church|Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria]], 3rd to 13th centuries, liturgical language to the present day)

===Middle Ages===
* [[Geʽez]], language of the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]]; the Garima Gospels are dated from the 5th century to the 10th century by various scholars.
* [[Classical Armenian]], the oldest attested form of [[Armenian language|Armenian]] from the 5th century and literary language until the 18th century
* [[Classical Arabic]], based on the language of the [[Quran|Qur'an]], 7th century to present; liturgical language of [[Islam]]
* [[Kannada#Old Kannada|Classical Kannada]], court language of [[Rashtrakuta dynasty|Rashtrakuta empire]]; earliest available literary work is the ''[[Kavirajamarga|Kavirājamārga]]'' of AD 850.<ref name=BritannicaLit>''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 2008. "Kannada literature" Quote: "''The earliest literary work is the ''Kavirājamārga'' (c. AD 850), a treatise on poetics based on a Sanskrit model.''"</ref>
* [[Old Saxon#Literature|Old Saxon]], language of Saxon Christian literature, 9th to 12th centuries
* [[Old English]], language of ''[[Beowulf]]'' and the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' with many divergent written dialects, but partially standardized in [[West Saxon dialect|West Saxon]] form
* [[Old French]], language of [[chivalric romance]], 8th to 14th centuries
* [[Old Georgian]], language of Georgia, 5th to 11th centuries
* [[Old East Slavic]], language of the [[Kievan Rus']], 9th to 13th centuries
* [[New Persian#Classical Persian|New Persian]], language of classical [[Persian literature]], 9th to present
* [[Old Nubian]], language of [[Nubia]], 9th or 10th to 15th centuries
* [[Assamese language#Magadhan and Gauda-Kamarupa stages|Old Assamese]], the earliest form of [[Assamese language]], attested  between 7th to 12th century CE and emerged during the [[Kamarupa kingdom]]<ref>{{Cite web|date=2024-10-24|title=ASSAMESE (অসমীয়া)–THE HISTORY|url=https://protelostudios.com/assamese/|access-date=2024-10-23 | website=www.protelostudios.com|language=en |quote=The Indo-Aryan language in Kamarupa had differentiated by the 7th-century, before it did in Bengal or Orissa.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |date=2025-02-09 |title=Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections |isbn=978-81-260-0365-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KYLpvaKJIMEC&pg=PA3 |language=en |quote=To find out the written specimens of the Assamese literature, we are to go back to the period of the songs and aphorisms composed by the Buddhist Siddhacharyas between the 8th and the 12th centuries A.D. |author1=Ayyappappanikkar |publisher=Sahitya Akademi }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-31 |title=Assamese language {{!}} Assamese Dialects, Brahmaputra Valley & Eastern India {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Assamese-language |access-date=2024-10-03 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |quote=Assamese literary tradition dates to the 13th century. Prose texts, notably buranjis (historical works), began to appear in the 16th century.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=2024-08-31 |title=Charyapads as the Oldest Written Specimen of Assamese Literature|url=https://www.neliti.com/publications/429892/charyapads-as-the-oldest-written-specimen-of-assamese-literature#:~:text=While%20dividing%20this%20era%2C%20Charyapad,written%20specimen%20of%20Assamese%20literature.|journal=International Journal of Health Sciences|doi=10.53730/ijhs.v6nS1.6513 |language=en |quote=Charyapads are considered as the first written specimen of Assamese literature. |last1=Deka |first1=Joy Jyoti |last2=Boro |first2=Akashi Tara |pages=7028–7034 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
* [[Old Bengali]], the earliest forms of the [[Bengali Language]], emerged during the [[Kingdom of Gauda]], 7th to 12th centuries.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Das |editor1-first=Amitava |editor2-last=Sanyal |editor2-first=Rajat |editor3-last=Chakraborty |editor3-first=Rajib |title=Classical Bangla |date=2025 |publisher=[[Institute of Language Studies and Research]] (ILSR), Kolkata |location=[[Kolkata]] |isbn=9788198479358 |page=386 |quote=The beginning of literary expression in Bengali in the 7th century AD as Caryāpada relates that the language developed over a considerable period before it reached the present status of literary expression in the 7th century. The oral traditions-proverbs, riddles, folks, stories which are the staple of the Bengali culture germinated before the written literature and were handed down from generation to generation. .... Caryāpada, which was composed in the 7th century AD, is the earliest literary expression (discovered so far) in Bengali language. Its composition in the 7th century is proof enough of a thirteen hundred years of ancestry of Bengali language in the written form. .... According to French scholar Sylvain Levi, in 657 A.D. during the period of King Narendra Deb, Matsyendranath who is also known as Mīnanātha according to Näthagitikā, travelled to Nepal. He was the founder and propagator of Nathism and also happens to be the oldest writer in the Bengali language, as has been recognized by many.}}</ref>
* [[Old Javanese]], language of [[Javanese literature|Old Javanese]] literature, used primarily during [[Javanese people#Ancient Javanese kingdoms and empires|Hindu-Buddhist]] Javanese kingdom era from 10th to 15th centuries<ref name="H.Cresse">{{cite journal |last1=Cresse |first1=Helen |title=Old Javanese Studies: A Review of the Field |journal=Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde |date=2001 |volume=1 |issue=157 |pages=3–33 |doi=10.1163/22134379-90003816 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/43472268 |access-date=23 February 2020|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Ogloblin">{{cite book |last=Ogloblin |first=Alexander K. |year=2005 |chapter=Javanese |title=The Austronesian Languages of Asia and Madagascar |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BAShwSYLbUYC&pg=PA590 |editor1=K. Alexander Adelaar |editor2=Nikolaus Himmelmann |location=London dan New York |publisher=Routledge |pages=590–624 |isbn=9780700712861 }}</ref>
* [[Old Church Slavonic]], language of the [[First Bulgarian Empire]] during its Golden Age, 10th century earliest manuscript is [[Freising manuscripts]]
* [[Classical Tibetan]], religious and literary language of Tibet, 10th century to present
* [[Classical Japanese]], language of [[Heian period]] literature, 10th to 12th centuries
* [[Middle Korean]], language of [[Goryeo]] and [[Joseon]], 10th to 16th centuries
* [[Old Occitan]], language of the [[troubadour]]s, 11th to 14th centuries
* [[Middle High German]], language of [[Middle High German literature|Medieval German literature]], 11th to 14th centuries
* [[Old Church Slavonic#Serbian recension|Old Serbian]], language of [[Serbia]] before its conquest by the [[Ottoman Empire]], 11th to 14th centuries
* [[Telugu language|Classical Telugu]]: the earliest available literary work is the Telugu Mahabharata, AD 1067.
* [[Malayalam|Classical Malayalam]]: the earliest extant prose work is the ''Ramacharitam'', 12th century.<ref name="charitam">K. Ramachandran Nair in Ayyappapanicker (1997), p.301</ref>
* [[Odia language|Classical Odia]], language of [[Odia literature]], 12th to 18th centuries
* [[Old Norse]], language of the [[Viking Age]], from the 12th century
* [[Middle Bulgarian]], language of the [[Second Bulgarian Empire]], 12th to 15th centuries
* [[Middle Low German]], language of the [[Hanseatic League]], 12th to 17th centuries
* [[Old Uyghur]], Turkic language spoken in [[Qocho]] from the 9th–14th centuries and in Gansu
* [[Sagas of Icelanders|Classical Icelandic]], the language of the [[Sagas of Icelanders|Icelandic sagas]], 13th century
* [[Old Catalan|Classical Catalan]], language of literature in the [[Crown of Aragon]], 13th to 14th centuries
* [[Mandinka language|Classical Manding]], language of the [[Mali Empire]], 13th to 16th centuries
* [[Ruthenian language|Old Ruthenian]], one language of the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]], 13th to 16th centuries
* [[Old Anatolian Turkish]], 11th to 15th centuries
* [[Geʽez#13th to 14th centuries|Classical Ge'ez]], language of [[Ethiopian literature#Medieval literature (1200–1672)|Golden Age of Ge'ez literature]], 13th to 16th centuries
* [[Early Modern Irish#Classical Gaelic|Classical Irish or Classical Gaelic]], language of the 13th to 18th centuries Scottish and Irish Gaelic literature
* [[Wolof language|Classical Wolof]], language of the [[Jolof Empire|Wolof Empire]], 13th to 19th centuries
* [[Middle English]], language of [[The Canterbury Tales]], 14th to 15th centuries, with many divergent written dialects, but partially standardized on London speech
* [[Middle French]], language of the [[French Renaissance]], 14th to 17th centuries
* [[History of the Hungarian language#Old Hungarian (10th to 15th centuries)|Classical Hungarian]], language of [[Hungarian literature]], 14th to 15th centuries
* [[Songhay languages|Classical Songhai]], lingua franca of the [[Songhai Empire]], 14th to 16th centuries
* [[Early New High German]], language of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], the [[German Renaissance]], and the [[Reformation|Protestant Reformation]], 14th to 17th centuries
* [[History of the Malay language#Classical Malay|Classical Malay]], language of [[Maritime Southeast Asia]], 14th to 18th centuries
* [[Chagatai language|Chagatai]], classical Turkic language of Central Asia and the Volga, 14th to early 20th centuries
* [[Old Khmer|Angkorian Old Khmer]], language of the [[Khmer Empire]], from 14th century
* [[Rekhta]], poetic language of [[Delhi]] and the Northern/Central Indian subcontinent, 13th-18th century, became standardized as [[Urdu]] in the 19th century.

===Amerindian languages===
* [[Classic Maya language|Classical Maya]] (the language of the mature [[Maya civilization]], 3rd to 9th centuries)
* [[Classical Nahuatl]] (lingua franca of 16th-century central Mexico)
* [[Classical Quechua]] (lingua franca of the 16th-century [[Inca Empire]])
* [[Classical Kʼicheʼ]] (a [[Mayan languages|Mayan language]] of 16th-century [[Guatemala]])
* [[Tupi language|Classical Tupi]] (language of 16th to 18th centuries [[Brazil]])

===Early modern period===
* [[Awadhi language|Awadhi]] (one of two major literary traditions of Northern India during [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] rule led to its use by poets, 14th to 18th centuries)
* [[Braj literature|Braj Bhasha]] (the second of two major literary traditions in early modern Northern India used by poets, 15th-19th centuries)
* [[Italian language#Renaissance|Renaissance Italian]] (language of the [[Italian Renaissance]], 15th to 16th centuries)
* [[History of Portuguese|Late Old Portuguese]] (language of [[History of Portugal (1415–1578)|Portuguese Golden Age]], 15th to 16th centuries)
* [[Early Modern Spanish]] (language of the [[Spanish Golden Age]], 15th to 17th centuries)
* [[Azerbaijani literature#Classical era|Classical Azeri]] (lingua franca of the Caucasus Mountain region and language of Azeri literature, 15th to 18th centuries)
* [[Lithuanian language#Old Lithuanian|Old Lithuanian]] (the other language of the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]], 16th to 17th centuries)
* [[Early Modern English]] (language of the [[King James Version|King James Bible]], the ''[[Book of Common Prayer]]'', and [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]], 16th to 17th centuries)
* [[Middle Polish]] (language of the [[Polish Golden Age]], 16th to 18th centuries)
* [[Ottoman Turkish#History|Classical Ottoman Turkish]] (language of poetry and administration of the [[Ottoman Empire]], 16th to 19th centuries)
* [[Manchu language]] (language of the Manchus who ruled China, 16th–20th centuries)
* [[History of the Dutch language#Standardization and Modern Dutch|Early Modern Dutch]] (language of the [[Dutch Golden Age]], 17th century)
* [[History of French#Modern French|Early Modern French]] (language of [[France]] under [[Louis XIV]] to [[Napoleon]], 17th to 18th centuries)
* [[Judaeo-Spanish#History|Classical Ladino]] (language of [[Sephardic Jews|Sephardic Jewish literature]], 17th to 19th centuries)
* [[History of the Russian language#Empire (18th–19th centuries)|Classical Russian]] (language of the [[Russian Empire]], 18th to 19th centuries)
* [[Classical Mongolian language]] (the language of Mongolian literature and translations of Tibetan Buddhist religious texts from 1700–1900)
* [[Sadhu bhasha|Sadhu Bhasha]] (the modern language Bengali from 1820s to 1940s)
* [[Yiddish#Secularization|Classical Yiddish]] (language of the [[Yiddishist movement|Yiddish Renaissance]], 19th–20th centuries)
* [[Classical Newar]] (lingua franca in India-Tibet trade)
* [[Harari language|Classical Harari]] (language of the city of [[Harar]]. Major language of Islamic scholarship from the 16th -20th centuries.)