History Main / ClassicalTongue

* Arabic is an interesting case. Classical Arabic--the flowery language of TheQuran--is unquestionably dead, but it's not difficult to understand for one who speaks Modern Standard Arabic, which is less flowery and more businesslike. However, nobody speaks MSA as a first language, either: they speak one of the numerous varieties of Arabic. However, none of these are traditionally written down, and high-class colloquial Arabic blends seamlessly into MSA anyhow. The result is that while Classical Arabic is a classical language for Arabs (and a holy language for Muslims, Arab or otherwise), Arabic in general is very much alive.

A language that isn't known/used by the common man. It may be dead/(mostly) forgotten, or is spoken by nobility/scholars/any elite or knowledgeable/educated person in general. It'll probably be both. A few words from it might be used to denote something special, or is used for something or someone's [[YouAreTheTranslatedForeignWord name]], but don't expect the common masses to use it (anymore). It's often an {{Expy}} of Latin, if it isn't Latin itself.

* The Divine Language spoken by esoteric priests and sexy living {{MacGuffin}}s in ''TheFifthElement''.

* TheOtherWiki has a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_extinct_languages long list of extinct languages]].

* In the British Isles there are those who desperately try to keep alive Welsh, Cornish, Scottish Gaelic, and Irish.

* Vanilla Warhammer had (at least in earlier editions) the Latin expy called Classical language. Not surprising given the setting's tendency for FantasyCounterpartCulture.

* The ''AlexBenedict'' novels take place 9,600 years in the future, more than enough time for civilizations to rise and fall and give our future antiquities dealers something to pick through. Many languages have come and gone in that time. Notably, modern English vanished in the third millennium, and modern French only lasted a millenium more before both languages became only known by their written form -- no one has recordings to know how they sounded.

* There's ''TheInheritanceCycle's'' Ancient Language. As an added bonus, it's a LanguageOfMagic.

* In ''TimeEnoughForLove'', which takes place in the 43rd century, more or less, English is a dead language, which [[TheOlderImmortal Lazarus Long]] insists on speaking when dealing with the Howards.

* In the British Isles there are those who desperately try to keep alive Welsh, Cornish, Scottish and Irish Gaelic.

A language that isn't known/used by the common man. It may be dead/(mostly) forgotten, or is spoken by nobility/scholars/any elite or knowledgeable/educated person in general. It'll probably be both. A few words from it might be used to denote something special, or is used for something or someone's [[YouAreTheTranslatedForeignWord name]], but don't expect the common masses to use it (anymore). It's often an {{Expy}} of Latin, if it isn't Latin itself.

The language may also be some kind of holy language spoken by those in a religious order, which makes the comparison to Latin all the more obvious. In these instances, see SacredLanguage.

A LanguageOfTruth or LanguageOfMagic often doubles as one.

Compare SmartPeopleKnowLatin. Contrast CommonTongue.

See also: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_language classical language]] on TheOtherWiki.
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!!Examples:

[[folder:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* Ancient Belkan (which is [[GratuitousGerman suspiciously similar to modern German]]) in the ''LyricalNanoha'' franchise is spoken only by a few old-fashioned Knights and their Devices.
* In ''ScrappedPrincess'' it turns out that the old language is ''English''. For example, the name of their continent, "Dustvin", is a corruption of "Dustbin".

[[folder:{{Film}}]]
* The Divine Language spoken by esoteric priests and sexy living {{MacGuffin}}s in ''TheFifthElement''.

[[folder:{{Literature}}]]
* "High Speech" from ''TheDarkTower'', which is the language of Gilead, the city of Gunslingers, and is considered a "civilized" language compared to the Low Speech of everyday communication. It's an "old" language in the sense that, by the time of the first novel (''The Gunslinger''), Roland is the last of the Gunslingers and thus one of the few people left in the world who actually can speak it.
* High Valyrian from ''ASongOfIceAndFire''.
* During the Archprelate's funeral in the ''{{Elenium}}'', there's a reference to the prayers and chants being in an archaic form of the Elene language that hardly anyone present understands.
* The High D'Haran from ''TheSwordOfTruth'' series.
* Several in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'': Westron, the Lingua Franca and CommonTongue of the series, is derived from Adûnaic, the language of the Númenóreans. Quenya serves in the same capacity for the Elves.
** Dwarves never speak their own tongue to outsiders except their BattleCry(and presumably the hearers are expected to soon be dead). Dwarvish is a ceremonial language and is exactly the same in the time of LordOfTheRings as it was in Durin's time. When talking to outsiders and sometimes even among themselves they use Common Speech. And if an outsider knows Dwarvish that is a sure sign that he is considered to be a very honored friend and possibly that he has [[GoingNative Gone Native]].
* The Old Tongue in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', precursor to the CommonTongue used in the books. It was similarly the universal language in its own time, and is now used mainly by nobles to show off their status, much as Latin was in the real medieval age.
* There's ''[[TheInheritanceCycle The Inheritance Cycle's]]'' Ancient Language. As an added bonus, it's a LanguageOfMagic.
* In ''TimeEnoughForLove'', which takes place in the 43rd century, more or less, English is a dead language, which [[TheOlderImmortal Lazarus Long]] insists on speaking when dealing with the Howards.
* At the end of ''[[LordPeterWimsey Gaudy Night]]'', Wimsey makes his last marriage proposal to Harriet Vane in Latin and she accepts in the same language ("Placet," meaning "it pleases"). They're both highly educated graduates of Oxford University, where the novel is set. The event is special, in that Wimsey unsuccessfully proposed marriage to Harriet (in the vernacular) '''repeatedly''' over the course of several years and several novels.

[[folder:LiveActionTV]]
* {{Downplayed}} on ''{{Grimm}}'' when Nick needs a text translated that is written in a medieval dialect of German. Monroe explains that the dialect has not been used in a long time but he can still translate it because it is close enough to modern German.
* It's mentioned in one episode of ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' that French has become a dead language.

[[folder:TabletopGames]]
* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''
** ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' has Auld Wyrmish -- the language of ancient dragon civilization on which different species talk with each other, while each kind itself uses derived dialects. Much the same applies to Giant, which is not the same as dialects e.g. stone giants or verbeeg use among themselves. Thorass or "Auld Common" is ancient written trade language from which "Common" is derived, still used for official records in some lands.
*** High Drow is an ancient dialect known mostly to the drow clergy, different enough that they sometimes use it for secret communication over the heads of lay worshipers.
* High Gothic of ''{{Warhammer 40000}}''. It's rendered as DogLatin in the books, but WordOfGod is that it's just a TranslationConvention.

[[folder:VideoGames]]
* Ancient Hylian in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker]]''.

[[folder:{{Webcomics}}]]

[[folder:WesternAnimation]]
* ''{{Futurama}}'' has a RunningGag where French has become one by the year 3000.

[[folder:RealLife]]
* [[AltumVidetur Latin]], of course.
* Ancient Greek is also a real life example (in fact as a rule of thumb, Latin is favoured by Lawyers and Greek is favoured by scientists).
* Sanskrit also fits the bill, and it's even used as a ceremonial language in Hindu religious rituals and Buddhist practice in the forms of hymns and mantras.
* TheOtherWiki has a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_extinct_languages long list of extinct languages]].
** It also has several [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_language Sacred Languages]] used by various religions. Including: Latin, Sanskrit, Koine Greek, Aramaic...
* In the British Isles there are those who desperately try to keep alive Welsh, Cornish, Scottish and Irish Gaelic.

* It's mentioned in one episode of ''[[StarTrekTheNextGeneration Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' that French has become a dead language.

* Several in ''TheElderScrolls''. The Dwemer language is mostly lost, rediscovering the dragon language is a plot point in ''{{Skyrim}}'', as is the Falmer language.

A language that isn't known/used by the common man. It may be dead/(mostly) forgotten, or is spoken by nobility/scholars/any elite or knowledgeable/educated person in general. It'll probably be both. A few words from it might be used to denote something special, or is used for something or someone's [[YouAreTheTranslatedForeignWord name]], but don't expect the common masses to generally use it (anymore). It's often an {{Expy}} of Latin, if it isn't Latin itself.

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC:TabletopGames]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]

[[AC:{{Webcomics}}]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

[[AC:RealLife]]

* Oddly, some jokingly refer to the French language as a dead language, when it's obviously not.
** It ''was'' used as a language among nobility in some places, like Tzarist Russia.

* In the British Isles there are those who desperately try to keep alive Welsh, Cornish, Scottish and Irish Gaelic. Arguably, all are examples.
* Hebrew. Interestingly it has revived as an everyday speech as a deliberate social engineering project of the Zionists. Many Ashkenazi Orthodox (who have always had to say the least, a rather ambiguous relationship with Zionism anyway) disliked this considering Hebrew a holy language and Yiddish the common language of the Jews...a position that Sephardi Jews, Orthodox or otherwise, find annoying.
* Arabic is an interesting case. Classical Arabic--the flowery language of TheQuran--is unquestionably dead, but it's not difficult to understand for one who speaks Modern Standard Arabic, which is less flowery and more businesslike. However, nobody speaks MSA as a first language, either: they speak one of the numerous varieties of Arabic. However, none of these are traditionally written down, and high-class colloquial Arabic blends seamlessly into MSA anyhow. The result is that while Classical Arabic is a classical language for Arabs (and a holy language for Muslims, Arab or otherwise), Arabic in general is very much alive.

* Hebrew. Interestingly it has revived as an everyday speech as a deliberate social engineering project of the Zionists. Many Orthodox(who have always had to say the least, a rather ambiguous relationship with Zionism anyway) disliked this considering Hebrew a holy language and Yiddish the common language of the Jews.

* Ancient Hylian in ''[[TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker]]''.

* Hebrew. Interestingly it has revived as an everyday speech as a deliberate social engineering project of the Zionists. Many Orthodox(who have always had to say the least, a rather ambiguous relationship with Zionism anyway) disliked this considering Hebrew a holy language and Yiddish the common language of the Jews.

** Dwarves never speak their own tongue to outsiders except their BattleCry(and presumably the hearers are expected to soon be dead). Dwarvish is a ceremonial language and is exactly the same in the time of LordOfTheRings as it was in Durin's time. When talking to outsiders and sometimes even among themselves they use Common Speech. And if an outsider knows Dwarvish that is a sure sign that he is considered to be a very honored friend and possibly that he has GoneNative.

At the end of ''[[LordPeterWimsey Gaudy Night]]'', Wimsey makes his last marriage proposal to Harriet Vane in Latin and she accepts in the same language ("Placet," meaning "it pleases"). They're both highly educated graduates of Oxford University, where the novel is set. The event is special, in that Wimsey unsuccessfully proposed marriage to Harriet (in the vernacular) '''repeatedly''' over the course of several years and several novels.

* High Gothic of ''{{Warhammer 40000}}''.

redirects: RareTongue, OldTongue, NobleLanguage, ClassicalLanguage, DeadLanguage, ForgottenLanguage.