<P> 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 c. 1500 BC, while the oldest known manuscript dates to the 11th century AD, a gap of over 2,500 years . 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 . </P> <P> Because of the way languages change gradually, it is usually impossible to pinpoint when a given language began to be spoken . In many cases, some form of the language had already been spoken (and even written) considerably earlier than the dates of the earliest extant samples provided here . </P> <P> For languages that have developed out of a known predecessor, dates provided here are subject to conventional terminology . For example, Old French developed gradually out of Vulgar Latin, and the Oaths of Strasbourg (842) listed are the earliest text that is classified as "Old French". Similarly, Danish and Swedish separated from common Old East Norse in the 12th century, while Norwegian separated from Old West Norse around 1300 . </P> <P> 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: </P>

What is the oldest spoken language known to man