Latin language: Difference between revisions
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'''Latin''' is the [[language]] which was the dominant medium of [[communication]] in [[Europe]] during the ascendancy of the [[Roman Empire]]. | '''Latin''' is the [[language]] which was the dominant medium of [[communication]] in [[Europe]] during the ascendancy of the [[Roman Empire]]. After the Empire ended, use of the classical literary language declined, while the everyday version of the language, or [[Vulgar Latin]], was undergoing the changes which would eventually issue in Latin's successor languages. In the western half of the former Empire, Latin persisted as the language of high culture and scholarship into the [[Renaissance]]. | ||
The influence of Latin can be widely detected in modern life. The [[Romance languages]] (among them [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[French language|French]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Romanian language|Romanian]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] and [[Romansh language|Romansh]]) are descended from Latin, and the [[English language]], having borrowed from these, especially from [[Norman French]] and Latin itself, similarly has a highly Latinate vocabulary. Knowledge of Latin roots can therefore provide the lay person with clues as to the meanings of terms in the Romance languages. Latin terminology is still used in the [[science]]s, particularly in [[medicine]], as well as in [[law]]. Until the middle of the 20th century, Latin was the sole liturgical language of the [[Roman Catholic Church]], when the [[Second Vatican Council]] opened the door for the performance of the liturgy in the vernacular. | |||
Latin is a highly [[synthetic language]], using many [[affixation|suffix]]es to indicate concerns such as [[number (linguistics)|number]], [[gender (linguistics)|gender]], [[formality]], [[possession (linguistics)|possession]], and [[tense (linguistics)|tense]]. Adding these endings is called [[conjugation|conjugating]] for [[verb]]s and [[declension|declining]] for [[noun]]s and [[adjective]]s. | Latin is a highly [[synthetic language]], using many [[affixation|suffix]]es to indicate concerns such as [[number (linguistics)|number]], [[gender (linguistics)|gender]], [[formality]], [[possession (linguistics)|possession]], and [[tense (linguistics)|tense]]. Adding these endings is called [[conjugation|conjugating]] for [[verb]]s and [[declension|declining]] for [[noun]]s and [[adjective]]s. | ||
Revision as of 00:56, 6 August 2008
Latin is the language which was the dominant medium of communication in Europe during the ascendancy of the Roman Empire. After the Empire ended, use of the classical literary language declined, while the everyday version of the language, or Vulgar Latin, was undergoing the changes which would eventually issue in Latin's successor languages. In the western half of the former Empire, Latin persisted as the language of high culture and scholarship into the Renaissance.
The influence of Latin can be widely detected in modern life. The Romance languages (among them Spanish, French, Italian, Romanian, Portuguese and Romansh) are descended from Latin, and the English language, having borrowed from these, especially from Norman French and Latin itself, similarly has a highly Latinate vocabulary. Knowledge of Latin roots can therefore provide the lay person with clues as to the meanings of terms in the Romance languages. Latin terminology is still used in the sciences, particularly in medicine, as well as in law. Until the middle of the 20th century, Latin was the sole liturgical language of the Roman Catholic Church, when the Second Vatican Council opened the door for the performance of the liturgy in the vernacular.
Latin is a highly synthetic language, using many suffixes to indicate concerns such as number, gender, formality, possession, and tense. Adding these endings is called conjugating for verbs and declining for nouns and adjectives.