History of Latin

The language of Latin has a long and rich history. Few languages have left such an indelible impact on the world we live in today. It played a significant role in shaping Western culture, and the language continues to be of vital importance in academia. It is also the root language of many modern European languages, including English, Spanish, Italian and French, and many disciplines, such as medicine, literature and philosophy, have developed under the language’s influence. 

Jump to:

While some call it a ‘dead language,’ many argue that this is simply not the case. Many top universities still teach this language, and if anyone has heard someone speak it, they will know exactly how eloquent and beautiful it sounds. Understanding Latin is crucial to understanding our history and could hold the key to helping us to develop and shape our future. 

But why is Latin so important? And where does it come from? In this blog post, we discuss the origins of this ancient language and may benefit from Latin. We’ll also share some famous Latin phrases and examine this ancient language’s overall importance. 

Latin can trace its origins back to around 700 BC in a small settlement that slopes towards Palatine Hill. Palatine Hill, relative to the seven hills of Rome, is the centremost and one of the city's most ancient and historical parts. While this area may be known as Italy in the present day, it was not known as such back then. The area was called Latium, but it was not a country. It was a region. The region was quite diverse, and many of the population spoke different languages. It may surprise you to know that there were actually more languages spoken during this time than there is today! . 

The Romans were merely one of several groups in the Latium region and, contrary to popular belief, were not particularly remarkable at the time. In contrast, the Etruscans to the north, in what is now Tuscany, were far more numerous and powerful, with many city-states compared to the single settlement of the Romans.

At that time, it would have been unimaginable that, within a few centuries, the entire region would be speaking the language of the Romans.

It is believed that the exact point of the origin of the Latin language is the Forum Romanum or Roman Square. This would be recognised as the heart of the city and was a further testament to Latin’s importance and strong connection to the Roman Empire. Because of Latin’s strong connection with the Roman Empire, the language quickly became the main language across the Empire for literature, communication and administration. 

Latin would become increasingly widespread as the Roman Empire increased its political power, firstly throughout the area known as modern Italy and then throughout most of western and southern Europe and the central and western Mediterranean coastal regions of Africa. This contributed to the rise of the Latin language. 

Over time, Latin continued to rise and develop, incorporating elements from other languages, such as Etruscan and Greek. This led to Latin becoming one of the primary languages spoken worldwide. As the Roman Empire grew in power and expanded, Latin spread worldwide, serving as the lingua franca of the Western world. It was used for religious, legal, and administrative purposes, forming the foundation for many Romance languages.

While many scholars believe Latin never really ‘died,’ it seems universally acknowledged that Latin is not as prominent now as it used to be. Dissecting exactly why Latin ‘died’ is a complicated and difficult topic. Oversimplifying the matter, Latin began to die out in the 6th Century, shortly after the fall of Rome in 476 AD.  

The fall of Rome is an extremely important historical event. It precipitated the fragmentation of the empire, which opened the door for distinct local Latin dialects to develop. These dialects would eventually transform into the previously mentioned Romance languages such as Italian, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. So, in a sense, Latin never died; it just changed. 

After all, when does a language die? Is it the last time someone speaks it? In that case, people still speak Latin today, so it isn’t truly dead.

No one agrees when Latin died, or if it died at all. But if you were to run with the theory of Latin dying and a doctor were to perform a metaphorical autopsy, then the doctor would have said the language died of natural causes. 

You could say that there were two main contributing factors that determined the death of the Latin language. Firstly, after Rome fell, the inhabitants of the city abandoned towns and other cities and moved to the countryside. This meant that a lot of native Latin speakers were isolated from each other. As time progressed, other Latin dialects began to emerge, and Latin in its original form began to die out. Secondly, people simply stopped using written Latin as much. The more a language is written down, the less likely the language is to change or fade away. As such, the fact the language stopped being written meant Latin started to see a decline. 

It may surprise you to know that many Latin phrases feature across many modern languages today. In fact, the chances you will have used some Latin words, or at least words derived from the Latin language at some point in your life, are pretty high. Some of the most popular Latin phrases and words include: 

The phrase alter ego is commonly used in everyday English. For example, Batman is Bruce Wayne’s alter ego. But you may be surprised to learn that it is Latin. It translates to "the other I," and today, it means secondary or alternate personality.

Ad hoc is a term frequently used in the business world, specifically in job postings. In English, ad hoc means ‘created of a specific purpose’ or ‘impromptu.’ So, if there was a specific emergency at work, management would call an ad hoc meeting in response to it. We also often hear about decisions made on an ad hoc basis. To put it simply, an ad hoc decision is one that is made for the context at hand.

Using the words ergo can potentially make you sound stuffy and pedantic. Think how some people were confused and unimpressed when the Architect used the word in the film The Matrix. However, Ergo literally means ‘therefore’, and we use this word exactly the same way the ancient Romans did. 

A deus ex machina in modern English is a person or thing that appears suddenly in literary work to solve an unsolvable problem. The word has gained popularity in recent years as the term is frequently used to describe convenient solutions in popular media. For example, the arrival of the Eagles in The Lord of the Rings or the destruction of the Death Star in Star Wars. But the word has roots in ancient Greek plays, where a god or goddess often appeared at the end to explain what should happen or what the characters ought to do.

In ancient Greece, the actor portraying the deity would be brought onto the stage using a crane called a mechane. This practice gave rise to the expression ‘god from a machine’, and the fact that in Latin, the word translates to ‘god from a machine’ might provide a clear indication as to why the terms have come to be used in this way. 

Magnum opus, somewhat expectantly, means ‘great work’ in Latin. In modern English, Magnum Opus means a creative masterpiece, and it is commonly used to refer to the best work of a specific author or artist. 

While this phase may seem self-explanatory, many do not know that the term originated from the Latin language. In memoriam are works dedicated to the memory of a deceased loved one. 

Here is another one that people don’t know, which is actually a Latin phase. In Latin, Bona Fide means ‘in good faith’ or ‘real’ or ‘genuine’, and in modern English, we use it the same way. An example of this is if you refer to someone as a ‘bona fide expert.’

There is a high likelihood you may have come across this phrase tattooed on someone’s arm or on someone’s social media page. This is because carpe diem means to ‘pluck the day’, which translates to ‘seize the day.’ 

While some famous Latin words and phrases have very much kept their original meaning, ad lib is slightly unique as it has seen a notable shift in meaning. 

Ad lib, short for ad libitum, loosely means ‘as much as you want.’ However, over time, the phrase has shifted to mean to do something without preparation. Ad lib can also be used as a verb. For example, if someone has not prepared a speech, they may choose to ad lib it. 

When per capita was used in the ancient Empire, it meant ‘per head.’ However, in modern times, it means ‘per unit of population.’ Examples of this may include incomes per capita. 

Per se literally means ‘through itself.’ Per se is another very common Latin phrase, but the simplest way to translate it into idiomatic English would be ‘in and of itself’ or ‘intrinsically.’

For example, one might say: ‘I don’t think a focus on grammar is bad per se, but it is often accompanied by old-fashioned and harmful teaching methods.’

While Latin may not be widely spoken today, learning this ancient language can benefit people in many different ways. 

Firstly, learning Latin will benefit students and academics. For students studying literature, history, philosophy and other humanities disciplines, learning Latin can greatly improve their understanding of original texts and contexts of significant works. Learning Latin can also help medical and legal professionals. Many medical terms and legal terminology derive from or are foundationally rooted in the Latin language. 

Unsurprisingly, historians and archaeology experts can acquire a deeper understanding of historical documents if they learn Latin. 

Perhaps the most surprising demographic that can benefit from learning Latin is children. Learning Latin can help children gain a superior understanding of English grammar, improve their ability to understand unfamiliar words, and help with their reading comprehension. 

Learning Latin can improve your general literacy and numeracy skills. So, while these demographics will benefit from Latin, generally speaking, learning Latin can benefit just about anybody. 

The time it takes to learn Latin can depend on numerous factors. While learning general Latin words and phrases may happen rather quickly, becoming fluent and being able to read the ancient language effectively will take significantly longer. Individual learning abilities will also affect the time it takes an individual to learn Latin. For some individuals who have learnt other languages, learning Latin may not take as long as others who find learning a new language more challenging. 

As a general rule, mastering Latin, meaning being able to read most classical literature with relative ease, will take around five years of diligent study (multiple hours of study a day). However, learning Latin to a sufficient standard may take considerably less time. 

Pig Latin is a playful language variation in which English words are modified, typically by appending a made-up suffix. This is often done by taking the initial consonant or consonant cluster of a word, moving it to the end, and adding a vowel sound to form the suffix.  The objective of the game is often to conceal the words from others who are not familiar with the rules.  The reference to Latin in its name is a deliberate misnomer as Pig Latin is an argot or jargon and is completely unrelated to the ancient language of Latin. The language of Pig Latin is often used by young children as a fun way to confuse people and is not a language to be taken seriously. 

Interested in learning more about the history of Latin? Then why not enrol in one of our excellent Latin courses? Our Latin courses are an excellent choice for those starting to learn this ancient language, and at the discounted price of £29 instead of the original £127, learning Latin just became even more affordable.