Latin: the father of romance

Latin is a language of the Italic branch that was spoken in Ancient Rome. Today this language is considered dead, that is, it is not the mother tongue of any citizen in the world. It can be said that this dialect died when it stopped evolving, back in the XNUMXst century; later, with the appearance of its diversifications, its original use diminished even more, until it fell into disuse among the common inhabitants.

Later, in the Middle Ages, the Modern Age and the Contemporary Age, Latin continued to be used, but as a scientific language, and this continues today. From this language a large number of European languages ​​known as Romance languages ​​were created: Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian, Romanian, Galician, Catalan, Asturleonés, Aragonese, Walloon, Occitan, Romanesque and Dalmatian. The Catholic Church uses it as a liturgical language, in addition to vernacular languages.

A Little History

The first appearances of the Latin date towards the year 1000 a. C., in a central region of Italy called Lazio, Lazio In latin. Hence the name of this language and of the residents of the area, Latin. Although the first written testimonies appear in the XNUMXth century BC. C.

Latin was originally considered a peasant languageTherefore, its territorial extension was very limited. It was barely spoken in some parts of Italy, apart from Rome.

Once past its hardest time, the Etruscan domination and the invasion of the Gauls, Rome was able to begin to extend its empire throughout the rest of Italy, and with this its language spread. By the end of the XNUMXth century BC. Rome was a power, and although the Etruscans left their mark on the Roman language and culture, it was the Greeks who gave Latin a broader lexicon.

From that moment Roman Latin became a unitary language, since it was imposed on the Latin of Lazio, bringing as a consequence that there were few dialect differences. Lazio Latin influences left their mark on literary Latin. Many great men used him in their works, Marco Tulio Cicero was one of them.

As Rome was conquering provinces, from Gaul to Dacia, today Romania, Latin expanded, developing both as a literary language and as a French language. At this point it is understood then how Romanian is a Romance language directly descended from Latin.

Latin literature

The Romans used, mainly, the style of Greek literature to write their works. They left a great legacy, producing an enormous number of books between history, comedy, satire, poetry, tragedy and rhetoric. Even after the Roman Empire fell, the Latin language was still of great importance.

Latin literature can be divided into two great periods: primitive literature and classical literature. Only a few works remain from the first period. At this time, the writers Pauto and Terence are the most popular in terms of literary production, not only of their period, but of all time.

Nor are there a large number of volumes left of classical literature, however some works have been rediscovered centuries later. This second stage is what is considered the summit for Latin literature and is divided into two: the Golden Age and the Silver Age. Everything that was written after the middle of the second century is often ignored and discredited.

The legacy of Latin

As time progressed and Latin lost strength, until it became a dead language, never stopped using. Today it is not only used as a liturgical language of the Catholic Church, it is also used as a scientific language to name fauna and flora, among many other things.

In medical publications it is very common to see phrases in Latin, even some complete publications are still made, for this area, in this language.

But, in addition to working to name figures or institutions in the world of Law and the legal profession, Latin literature left a great mark. From the Renaissance onwards, an excellent style was recognized in the authors of Latin literature and conscientiously imitated.

It is obvious that the magical realism that has fed Hispanic literature so much is inherited from Latin literature. The first could not exist if the second, one is the mother of the other.

Ways to study Latin

Although Latin is considered a dead language, this does not mean that you do not have a way of learning. The first element you have to have to learn any language is a dictionary of it. Through the internet you can get a good dictionary to help you with your task.

When looking up a list of recommended Latin dictionaries, these were the ones with the best scores:

• Latin Dictionary of SM Editions
• Digital Latin Dictionary Kindle
• Dictionary by Latin roots.

Dictionaries to learn Latin usually have exercises in the same book or they can bring audios to be able to hear the correct pronunciation. As for this other point of audio, the internet offers a large number of courses and applications to learn the language. Also, today, there are a vast number of Libraries with great material on the subject.

By combining a dictionary with an application or an online course, the handling of Latin will become very simple and fast. Combining methods is one of the best ways to learn a language or language, Latin is no exception.