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In another sense of the word, an important criterion is that a language should have a broad influence over an extended period of time, even after it is no longer a colloquial mother tongue in its original form. If one language uses roots from another language to coin words (in the way that many European languages use Greek and Latin roots to devise new words such as "telephone" etc.), this is an indication that the second language is a classical language. Also, the writing system of such a classical languages will often have spread to be used by other languages. Thus classical languages tend to be either Dead Language s, or show a high degree of Diglossia , as the spoken varieties of the language diverge further and further away from the classical written language over centuries. Note that the judgment as to whether a language is "classical" is made on the basis of external factors, and not the nature of the language itself. CLASSICAL STUDIES In the most restricted meaning, in the inherently Eurocentric context of Classical Studies , "the Classical Languages" are the Greek and Latin literary languages of Classical Antiquity , foundational to Western Culture . In terms of worldwide cultural importance, , Arabic and Sanskrit :
GENERAL USAGE The following languages are generally taken to have a "classical" stage. Such a stage is limitited in time, and is considered "classical" if it comes to be regarded as a literary "golden age" retrospectively. Thus, Classical Greek is the language of 5th to 4th century BC 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 , Classical Sumerian succeeding Archaic Sumerian, Classical Sanskrit succeding Vedic Sanskrit , Classical Persian succeeding Old Persian . This is a 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 Arabic and Tamil, the "classical" stage corresponds to the earliest attested literary variant.
CLASSICAL LANGUAGES OF INDIA See Also: Classical languages of India In 2004, a new category was created by constitutional decree under which languages that met certain requirements could be accorded the status of a 'classical' in India.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/854977.cms With the creation of this category, Tamil and a year later, Sanskrit have been accorded the status. More languages are being considered to be added to the list.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3667032.stm; NOTES SEE ALSO
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