Three is first among equals in oldest words in English

Published on Thursday 26 February 2009 22:12

THE words "I", "we", "two" and "three" have been identified by linguists as the oldest in the English language, dating back tens of thousands of years.

Researchers used computer models to study the rate of change of English and languages which share a common heritage while medieval manuscripts give clues about more recent changes.

The team from Reading University claims it can predict which words are likely to become extinct – citing "squeeze", "guts", "stick" and "bad" as potential first casualties.

Mark Pagel, an evolutionary biologist at the university, said new words for a concept can arise using different sounds.