Wikijunior:Languages/Latin

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What writing system(s) does this language use?

Where the Latin alphabet is used today

Latin uses what is today called the Latin Alphabet. This alphabet is thought by many historians to have been a modified version of the ancient Greek alphabet, which in turn is also a variation of ancient Phoenician writing.

The Latin alphabet is the basis for most European languages and for many other languages around the world, which is why it may look familiar to you if you are reading this in English.

One important difference is that lowercase letters were not usually used in writing classical Latin. Another difference is that the Romans did not use our letters J, U, and W. These letters developed later, as variants of I and V. Because of this, Julius Caesar's name would have been written IVLIVS CAESAR.

How many people speak this language?

Latin is considered a dead language.

The meaning of "dead language" is unclear in this case, but it is commonly taken to mean that there is no one left speaking it as their mother tongue.

Although it is technically possible for people who have learned Latin to speak it, it is considered an unusual thing to do, and normally two such people will use Latin to understand each other only if they have no other language in common.

Still, Latin is sometimes needed by linguists and scientists. It is still the official language of one country: the Vatican, though the form of the language spoken there may be different from the ancient form. Some people also use Latin to translate writing on Roman or ancient artifacts. There are also Conventiculums [pl. Conventicula](conventions) where people may have Latin conversations.

Linguists may need to know Latin, as it is one of the roots of nearly all modern European languages. Scientists often use Latin, along with Greek, to name new species or chemicals.

Where is this language spoken?

The official language of Vatican City is Latin, even though the language is considered extinct. Two thousand years ago, Latin was spoken throughout the Roman Empire, which extended at its height from Portugal to Iraq and from Britain to North Africa. During the Middle Ages and the early modern era, Latin was the predominant language of the Roman Catholic Church and of universities in western Europe. It still is the official language of the Roman Catholic Church. Many Latin words and phrases are still used in the fields of law, science, and medicine. For example, et cetera comes from Latin, meaning "and other things".

What is the history of this language?

Latin is a member of the family of Italic languages, and its alphabet, the Latin alphabet, is based on the Old Italic alphabet, which is in turn derived from the Greek alphabet. The English alphabet is based on the Latin alphabet. Latin was first brought to the Italian peninsula in the 9th or 8th century B.C. by migrants from the north, who settled in the Latium region, specifically around the River Tiber, where the Roman civilization first developed. Latin was influenced by the Celtic dialects and the non-Indo-European Etruscan language in northern Italy, and by Greek in southern Italy.

Although surviving Latin literature consists almost entirely of Classical Latin, a language from the 1st century B.C., this language progressed into Vulgar Latin, which significantly differed from Classical Latin in grammar, vocabulary, and eventually pronunciation. Although Latin remained the main written language of the Roman Empire, Greek came to be the language spoken by the well-educated elite, as most of the literature studied by Romans was written in Greek. In the eastern half of the Roman Empire, which became the Byzantine Empire, Greek eventually supplanted Latin as both the written and spoken language. In the western half, Latin was always the major language.

Some famous people who spoke this language

What are some basic words in this language that I can learn?

What is a simple song/poem/story that I can learn in this language?

The poet Ovid was banished from Rome in 8 AD by Augustus, Julius Caesar's great-nephew. This is the first 2 lines of the poem Tristia (meaning "Sorrows"), which Ovid wrote to express his sadness about his banishment.

In Latin:

Parue — nec inuideo — sine me, liber, ibis in urbem:
ei mihi, quod domino non licet ire tuo!

In English:

You will go, my little book, without me to the city, but I don't envy you.
Go on — go to the city forbidden to me — forbidden to your master.

This song by an unknown poet from the 16th Century was popular with students some time ago when everybody had to learn Latin at school:


In Latin:

Flevit lepus parvulus
 clamans altis vocibus:
 Quid feci hominibus,
 quod me sequuntur canibus?
 Neque in horto fui
 neque holus comedi.


In English:

Wept the little rabbit,
 shouting with high voice:
 What did I do to the humans,
 that they chase me with dogs?
 I was not in the garden,
 and I did not eat the vegetables

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