Which is the second oldest language?

It's impossible to say definitively which language is the "second oldest" because language evolution is a complex and ongoing process. There's no single, universally agreed upon definition of what constitutes a distinct language, and linguistic families have been branching off and evolving for thousands of years.

Here's why it's tricky:

* No written records for the earliest languages: Many of the oldest languages existed long before writing was invented. We can only speculate about their structure and origins based on limited archaeological and linguistic evidence.

* Language families are interconnected: Languages within a family are related, sharing common ancestors. It's difficult to pinpoint a single "second oldest" when languages within a family are all descended from a shared parent language.

* Continuous evolution: Languages change over time. What we consider "ancient" languages may have evolved significantly from their earlier forms.

Instead of focusing on "oldest," it's more accurate to consider:

* Language families: Indo-European, Sino-Tibetan, Afro-Asiatic, and others represent significant groupings with ancient origins.

* Ancient languages with known records: Sanskrit, Ancient Egyptian, Sumerian, and Akkadian are examples of languages with extensive written records dating back thousands of years.

Ultimately, there isn't a clear-cut answer to the question of the "second oldest" language. It's a fascinating area of study, but the complexities of language evolution make definitive rankings challenging.