Classical - Other Classical Cultures

Other Classical Cultures

The word classical can also be used to refer to other cultures, by analogy with classical antiquity and classical music. Examples of this usage include:

• Classical language, a dead or archaic language comparable to classical Latin. This normally means it has a literature that is considered classical, it is associated with a golden age, it was spoken by high-status people or it is considered to be ordered. Examples illustrating this are given below:
  • Classical Arabic is the Arabic language in which the Qur'an is written
  • Classical Nahuatl is the language spoken by Aztec nobles in the Valley of Mexico at the time of the 16th-century Spanish conquest
  • Classical French is the French language as systematised in the 17th and 18th centuries
• Four Great Classical Novels, considered to be the greatest and most influential in Chinese fiction
• The list of classical music styles gives many styles of music considered classical.