Latin
The earliest known form of Latin is Old Latin, also called Archaic or Early Latin. It was spoken from the Roman Kingdom, traditionally founded in 753 BC, through the later part of the Roman Republic, up to 75 BC. This period predates the age of Classical Latin. The Latin alphabet was devised from the Etruscan alphabet. Writing changed from what was initially either a right-to-left or a boustrophedon script to what ultimately became a strictly left-to-right script. The Lapis Niger, probably the oldest extant Latin inscription, dates from Rome during the semi-legendary Roman Kingdom. Inscriptions and some of the earliest extant Latin literary works attest to this early phase. These include the comedies of Plautus and Terence.
By the late Roman Republic, Old Latin had evolved into standardised Classical Latin. Vulgar Latin refers to the less prestigious colloquial registers attested in inscriptions and some literary works such as those of the comic playwrights Plautus and Terence and the author Petronius. Between the 6th and 9th centuries, natural language change in the vernacular Latin of different regions evolved into distinct Romance languages. Currently, the six most widely spoken Romance languages by number of native speakers are Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian and Catalan. It was not until the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in 711, cutting off communications between the major Romance regions, that the languages began to diverge seriously. Spoken Latin began to diverge into distinct languages by the 9th century at the latest, when the earliest extant Romance writings begin to appear.
Late Latin is a kind of written Latin used in the 3rd to 6th centuries. This began to diverge from Classical forms at a faster pace. Medieval Latin is the written Latin in use during that portion of the post-classical period when no corresponding Latin vernacular existed, that is from around 700 to 1500 AD. The spoken language had developed into the various Romance languages; however, in the educated and official world, Latin continued without its natural spoken base. Renaissance Latin, in use from around 1300 to 1500, and the classicised Latin that followed through to the present are often grouped together as Neo-Latin. Its origins are normally associated with Petrarch, who lived from 1304 to 1374. The vast majority of written Latin belongs to this period, but its full extent is unknown. Famous writers included Petrarch, Erasmus, Salutati, Celtis, George Buchanan and Thomas More.
Ecclesiastical Latin remains the official language of the Holy See and the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church required that Mass be carried out in Latin until the Second Vatican Council of 1962, 1965, which permitted the use of the vernacular. Latin remains the language of the Roman Rite. The Tridentine Mass (also known as the Extraordinary Form or Traditional Latin Mass) is celebrated in Latin. Although the Mass of Paul VI (also known as the Ordinary Form or the Novus Ordo) is usually celebrated in the local vernacular language, it can be and often is said in Latin, in part or in whole, especially at multilingual gatherings. Vatican City is also home to the world's only automatic teller machine that gives instructions in Latin. In the pontifical universities postgraduate courses of Canon law are taught in Latin, and papers are written in the same language.
Latin grammar is highly fusional, with classes of inflections for case, number, person, gender, tense, mood, voice, and aspect. A regular Latin noun belongs to one of five main declensions. There are seven Latin noun cases, which also apply to adjectives and pronouns. These include Nominative, Genitive, Dative, Accusative, Ablative, Vocative, and Locative. A regular verb in Latin belongs to one of four main conjugations. There are six simple tenses in Latin: present, imperfect, future, perfect, pluperfect and future perfect. The Latin alphabet was derived from the Etruscan alphabet, which was in turn drawn from the Greek alphabet. Classical Latin did not contain sentence punctuation, letter case, or interword spacing, but apices were sometimes used to distinguish length in vowels and the interpunct was used at times to separate words.
Latin has greatly influenced many languages, including English, having contributed many words to the English lexicon, particularly after the Christianisation of the Anglo-Saxons and the Norman Conquest. Romance words make up 59% of English vocabulary. Latin roots appear frequently in the technical vocabulary used by fields such as theology, the sciences, medicine, and law. The Linnaean system of plant and animal classification was heavily influenced by Historia Naturalis, an encyclopaedia published by Pliny the Elder. Roman medicine, recorded in the works of such physicians as Galen, established that today's medical terminology would be primarily derived from Latin and Greek words. In the United States the unofficial national motto until 1956 was E pluribus unum meaning Out of many, one. Canada's motto is e pluribus unum (from sea to sea). Many states of the United States have Latin mottos, such as Arizona's In God We Trust and Connecticut's Qui transtulit sustinet.
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Common questions
When was Old Latin spoken in the Roman Kingdom and Republic?
Old Latin was spoken from the traditional founding of the Roman Kingdom in 753 BC through the later part of the Roman Republic up to 75 BC. This period predates the age of Classical Latin.
Which Romance languages are currently the most widely spoken by native speakers?
The six most widely spoken Romance languages by number of native speakers are Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian and Catalan. Spoken Latin began to diverge into distinct languages by the 9th century at the latest when the earliest extant Romance writings begin to appear.
Who lived between 1304 and 1374 and is associated with Renaissance Latin origins?
Renaissance Latin origins are normally associated with Petrarch who lived from 1304 to 1374. Famous writers included Petrarch Erasmus Salutati Celtis George Buchanan and Thomas More.
What year did the Second Vatican Council permit the use of vernacular language in Mass?
The Catholic Church required that Mass be carried out in Latin until the Second Vatican Council of 1962 1965 which permitted the use of the vernacular. Latin remains the language of the Roman Rite.
How many noun cases exist in regular Latin grammar and what are they called?
There are seven Latin noun cases which also apply to adjectives and pronouns. These include Nominative Genitive Dative Accusative Ablative Vocative and Locative.