{"id":8709,"date":"2023-11-29T10:20:13","date_gmt":"2023-11-29T09:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.learnancientrome.com\/?p=8709"},"modified":"2023-11-29T10:20:13","modified_gmt":"2023-11-29T09:20:13","slug":"what-was-the-language-the-ancient-romans-spoke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.learnancientrome.com\/what-was-the-language-the-ancient-romans-spoke\/","title":{"rendered":"What Was The Language The Ancient Romans Spoke"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Ancient Romans spoke Latin as their main language. They also utilized many other dialects and languages, such as Ancient Greek and Etruscan, in order to communicate with different ethnic groups around the Roman Empire. Latin was the primary language of government, law and the military. The common people of the Roman Empire spoke various dialects of Latin, which makes it difficult to determine the exact form of Latin the Ancient Romans spoke.<\/p>\n

Latin began as a language spoken by small, rural communities in the late Iron Age in Italy. Initially, it was rarely used outside of these communities. It gradually evolved into the primary language of the Roman Empire, which relied on it for written communication, legal documents, commerce and more. Latin also became the basis of many of the languages spoken in the Mediterranean and Central Europe today.<\/p>\n

In recent years, linguists have studied texts written by the Ancient Romans in order to gain a better understanding of the Latin they spoke. It has been found that the Latin of this era was much simpler than the Latin used in subsequent centuries. Many of the rules and complexities of Latin came later, as the language evolved to keep up with changing needs. Scholars believe that the Ancient Romans spoke a language that was unintelligible to people living outside of the Roman Empire.<\/p>\n

While there is still much debate among linguists about the exact form of Latin the Ancient Romans spoke, it is generally accepted that the language was closer to modern Italian than any other modern language. This has been concluded by comparing the grammar and vocabulary of texts written by Ancient Romans with those written by modern Italians. There is also evidence to suggest that the Ancient Romans had a similar intonation to the way modern Italians speak, particularly in words and phrases that express emotions.<\/p>\n