Preview

The Origins of Vernacular Language and Its Spread

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1448 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Origins of Vernacular Language and Its Spread
The Origins of Vernacular Language and Its Spread

Keturah Lindsey

American Intercontinental University

ABSTRACT

The term vernacular can be defined as using a language that is native to a country or province, rather than a cultured, foreign, or literary language. The vernacular languages would also be considered as the large family of contemporary “Romance” languages (Matthews, 2007). These vernacular languages would one day be known to use as Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, and etc.

INTRODUCTION

Before the twelfth century, Latin was the major language that was used for literature and among the educated. The findings of Latin were influenced by other native languages which included those of Celtic languages, Greek, and Etruscan (University of Calgary, 1996). The Latin language was consistently developed due to the fact there were significant differences during each period. These differences included those in the literary written language, and also due to differences in the spoken language of the educated and those of the less educated populace.

THE ORIGINS OF VERNACULAR LANGUAGE

Development of Vernacular Language

In the beginning, Latin was only one of several Italic languages in which all of them belonged to the Indo-European linguistic family, and the development of these languages were influenced by other tongues, including the language known as Celtic, Etruscan and Greek. Like many other languages, Latin language underwent continuous development. During each period of its evolution there were many differences between the literary written language, which was very distinct from the spoken language of the educated versus those of the less educated populace. Within the spoken language, borrowing from other tongues was common at all periods (University of Calgary, 1996).

The development of literature and learning in Latin language was strongly influenced by the Greek,



References: Bouchard, M. (2004). A critical reappraisal of the concept of the ‘Imagined Community’ and the presumed sacred languages of the medieval period. National Identities, 6(1), 3-24. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Chappell, P. (2011). Gutenberg’s Press Revisited: Invention and Renaissance in the Modern World. Agora, 46(2), 26-30. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Matthews, J. (2007). Beginnings of Vernacular – UMUC Europe – AC-Support. Retrieved from http://ac-support.europe.umuc.edu/~jmatthew/naples/vernacular.htm McCash, J. (2008). The Role of Women in the Rise of the Vernacular. Comparative Literature, 60(1), 45-57. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Orme, N. (2006). What did Medieval Schools do for us?. History Today, 56(6), 10-17. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Slavitt, D. R. (1999). The Decline and Fall of Latin (and the Rise of English). World & I, 14(10), 18. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. University of Calgary (1996.) Latin and Vernacular Languages. Retrieved from http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/firsteuro/lang.html Vincze, H. (2009). The stakes of translation and vernacularisation in early modern Hungary. European Review of History, 16(1), 63-78. doi:10.1080/13507480802655402

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In the fifth and fourth centuries Rome’s tyrannical rule was defeated, and an aristocracy of patricians became the ruling class. The common people, the plebeians, had been weakened in society after the King’s defeat, but to meet the demands of the people, Tribunes were put into power as the heads of the plebeians. Up until this point, the “task of maintaining a body of law was met through oral traditions”, but the tribunes “demanded that laws should be reduced to writing and made public”. This made the development of a common alphabet for the Roman people a priority, and the Latin language was soon established. The resulting Twelve Tables became one of the earliest known Roman establishments of the written word. Literature, such as Virgil’s Aeneid, soon started the tradition of using the written word as a form of propaganda that could be geared toward the literate and therefore more influential in society. Other “literary propaganda in the form of letters, treatises, published books and speeches” from more strictly political circles were also made and used in abundance.…

    • 1106 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Unit 2 Hum 215 Aiu

    • 818 Words
    • 4 Pages

    I often wonder where languages come from. Not such different dialactes that come with different areas of the United States. But during the origins of language with its spread from culture to culture came changes. Now that there is a different means to communicate, people may not agree with one another. According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the term vernacular can be defined as using a language that is native to a country or province rather than a cultured, foreign, or literary language (Merriam-Webster, 2011). These languages would one day be known as Portuguese, French, Spanish, Italian, and etc. The vernacular languages would also be considered as the large family of contemporary “Romance” languages.…

    • 818 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    HUMUnit2

    • 815 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Vernacular can be defined as using a language that is native to a country or province rather than a cultured, foreign, or literary language (Merriam-Webster, 2011). Vernacular will one day be known as the languages Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Italian. Vernacular is the large family of modern “Romance” languages. Terms referred to the poets in the mid-1200s produced the first body of literature in a more or less uniform vernacular Italian (Matthews, 2011). Vernacular language was made when a new language was asked to be made.…

    • 815 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Latin was the start of all the languages in Europe because it was the first to be universally spoken. Latin was the start of Italian, which was previously discussed. With out the use of the vernacular of Latin, Italian would not exist. The Latin language was considered elegant. It was influenced by the Greek vocabulary, grammar and style. (Latin Language, 2013) The language it self still survives in Italy in the Vatican City as the official language of the Roman Catholic Church. (Latin Language, 2013) In today’s society Latin still serves as a major source for the derivation of new terms in sciences and technologies. (Latin Language,…

    • 663 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Vernacular language is a tool we use to communicate both verbally and in writing. People can express their thoughts, feelings and emotions through knowledge, ideas and memory. Before there was vernacular language, people only knew how to communicate in Latin but now, there’s many languages in different countries. If a person could speak in more than one language, it’s considered a virtue. Each language expressed a different culture and defined an identity within itself.…

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Until the sixteenth century Latin was known as the official language during the Middle Ages. Latin became less used as it was hard to read and to understand but through Latin the Vernacular language was created. Before the sixteenth century all textbooks and even the Bible were written in Latin creating a great diversity between the upper crust of society and the common people. When the Vernacular language was adapted from Latin and everyday people started learning to read and to write the Vernacular language became the most used language throughout the population. The Vernacular language impacted societies, religion, and the Latin language eventually making the language of Latin obsolete.…

    • 995 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Latin Gothic Languages

    • 79 Words
    • 1 Page

    Latin was mostly used during the medieval time period. Throughout Europe, it remained the language of choice. Slowly over periods of hundreds of years, Latin began to change as distinct regions developed their own vernacular and traits. Eventually, these dialects would become unique enough to be named their own languages. Today we know them as Romance languages. The most commonly spoken and recognizable of these related languages are: Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and French. Latin is considered a Romance language.…

    • 79 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Latin was common language spoken; in churches and court. Then there was a change vernacular language started to be use and it was helpful to religion area. In the 12th century writers use this language as an important part of poetry. This was used by troubadours and Trobairtz. In the 13th century vernacular languages was being used in the government and with legal documents in England and France in the 14 century it spread even more through Europe. In the 15th century, this language was established in literature and historical records. Vernacular spread quickly. Latin language is the bedrock of the language of western civilization. Latin is used in the creation of new words in modern languages of many different families, like English and biological taxonomy. The literature and learning in Latin was influenced by the Greek, for Western Europe in works of the Latin authors had enormous long-range…

    • 496 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Up until the twelfth century, Latin was the language used primarily by the well-educated and the upper class, especially when it came to literature. Latin had a huge impact on the medieval ways, and became the prominent language when the Roman Empire rose and dominated the western world. When the empire began to fall, the Latin language began to fade and eventually, the people began to resort back to their ethical tongue and began to use their vernacular or original languages again instead of Latin. (Sayre)…

    • 977 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The coming of Christianity meant not simply a new life and leader for England; it meant also the wealth of a new language. The scop is now replaced by the literary monk; and that monk, though he lives among common people and speaks with the English tongue, has behind him all the culture and literary resources of the Latin language. The effect is seen instantly in our early prose and poetry.…

    • 3822 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Borrowings in Old English

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Old English (Ænglisc, Anglisc, Englisc) or Anglo-Saxon[1] is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southern and eastern Scotland, more specifically in the England Old Period, between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century. What survives through writing represents primarily the literary register of Anglo-Saxon.…

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    TOM McARTHUR. "LATIN." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com.(January 17, 2014). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-LATIN.html…

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    “My knee did not bend and the leg dropped straight from the knee to the ankle without a…

    • 2185 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Non Sense

    • 7282 Words
    • 30 Pages

    Roman literature, while it lacks the brilliant originality and the delicate beauty which characterize the works of the Great writers, is still one of the great literatures of the world and it possesses an importance for us which are even greater that its intrinsic merits (great as they are) would naturally give it. In the first place, roman literature has preserved to us, Latin translations and adaption, many important remains of Greek literature which would otherwise have been lost, and in the second place, the political Latin power of the Romans, embracing nearly the whole known world, made the Latin language the most widely spread of all languages, and this caused Latin literature to be read in all lands and to influence the literary development of the peoples of Europe. [1]…

    • 7282 Words
    • 30 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    History of English

    • 7826 Words
    • 32 Pages

    - internal political reasons → English spoken in former colonies where it is considered to be the most neutral language which is not connected with any particular ethnic group…

    • 7826 Words
    • 32 Pages
    Powerful Essays