Re:How to count every language in India (2018)
by marc_abonce on Sunday November 01, 2020 @04:45PM
(#24962793)
> the sentinelese, a known isolated and uncontacted tribe who have preserved their way of life for 60,000 years of isolation.
I don't think they have actually been isolated for 60,000 years though. If I understand correctly, they chose to isolate in the 1800's because the British were kidnapping people. Before that they had contact with other Andaman islanders at least. For example, apparently the Sentinelese may speak a language of the Ongan family[1], which would mean that their language most likely diverged sometime within the last millennium or two, I think.
Oldest language could be a distinct language that has preserved its uniqueness. Due to the ice age, European languages can not be the oldest.
The isolation of these tribes and the long human habitation in these regions could make the languages some of the oldest as well as primitive.