Vulgar Latin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Vulgar Latin |
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| Proto-Romance sermō vulgāris |
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| Native to | Roman Republic, Roman Empire | |||
| Era | Antiquity; developed into Romance languages 6th to 9th centuries | |||
| Language family |
Indo-European
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| Writing system | Latin | |||
| Linguist List | lat-vul | |||
The Roman Empire in 117 AD
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Vulgar Latin, also called Common Latin, was a version of the Latin language. Latin was an old language spoken by the people of Ancient Rome. Vulgar Latin is not spoken anymore. However, its many different types eventually grew into what we now call Romance languages. These include Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Romanian. Vulgar Latin was the language of everyday people. This included farmers, workers, and those who did not have much education. The word "vulgus" in Latin means "common."
How Vulgar Latin Started
The first type of Latin was called Classical Latin. This was the formal language used in books and by educated people. Over time, fewer and fewer people spoke Classical Latin in their daily lives. The language slowly changed and became Vulgar Latin.
Eventually, only scholars and people in the Roman Catholic Church continued to use Classical Latin. They used it for writing books and official documents. Today, almost no one speaks Latin, except for those who study it.
What Made Vulgar Latin Different
Vulgar Latin was similar to Classical Latin. However, it had some differences in how words were said. It also had different words for some things. For example, Classical Latin had a complex system of five noun cases. These cases changed the end of a noun depending on its job in a sentence. In Vulgar Latin, this system became much simpler. People started using small words like "of" or "to" instead of changing the noun's ending. This change made the language easier to learn and use every day.
Images for kids
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An extract of the Oaths of Strasbourg, an early text in a language that came from Vulgar Latin.
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The Cantar de Mio Cid (Song of my Cid) is one of the oldest Spanish texts.
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See also
In Spanish: Latín vulgar para niños
