Origin of Romance languages

The origin of the Romance languages ​​is Vulgar Latin. the variant of Latin that the people spoke and that, in each region, took different forms. In unProfesor we offer you a summary.

Have you ever wondered what Romance languages ​​are? Romance languages, also known as Romanic languajes, are a group of languages ​​that originated from Vulgar Latin, the variant of Latin spoken on the streets in ancient Rome. These languages ​​developed over the centuries in different regions of Europe, giving rise to the main languages ​​we know today.

In this lesson from a PROFESSOR we want to explain the origin of romance languages and evolution, since it is a really fascinating subject. Knowing the origins of our language will open the doors of your mind and allow you to discover the beauty of the oral and written tradition that has come down to us.

Index

1. Origin of Romance languages: Vulgar Latin
2. how many romance languages ​​are there
3. History of Romance languages
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4. Examples of similarities between Romance languages
5. List of Romance languages ​​that currently exist
6. Examples of Similarities Between Romance Languages

Romance languages ​​are an evolution of Vulgar Latin. But their common features are due to the fact that practically all languages ​​have the same characteristics and traces of Latin. The origin of the Romance languages ​​is the same and the evolution followed these steps:

• Between 200 B.C. and the 400 approximately: there are different ways of speaking Vulgar Latin.
• Between 500 and 600: these forms begin to be distinguished from each other.
• From 800: the existence of the Romance languages ​​is recognized.

In this other lesson we will discover all the Latin-derived languages so that you know them.

Currently, the number of Romance languages are more than 20, although the truth is that many of the regional varieties are threatened and only 6 of them have a general use and has several million speakers around the world.

Among the languages ​​that group the Romance languages we can find the following:

• In it Gallo-Romanesque group there are the french and the arpitan
• In it Italian-Romanian group there are Romanian, Italian and Sicilian
• In it Occitan-Romanesque group there are Occitan, Friulian and Catalan
• In it iberromanic group there are the Navarro-Aragonese, the Spanish, the Asturian-Leonese, the Galician and the Portuguese.

Romance languages are spread all over the world because of the colonizations carried out by the Europeans centuries ago.

In this other lesson from a Teacher we discover the formation of Romance languages ​​in Europe.

As we have mentioned above, Romance languages ​​do not come from cultured Latin, but its origin dates back to Latin vulgar, that is to say to the popular Latin that was spoken in the streets.

With the Roman Empire, Latin reached many of the points on the European map., growing in the same way as the Roman conquests. Its expansion made Latin establish itself as the official language of many kingdoms, mixing with different autochthonous languages ​​and creating numerous dialects.

As those who conquered new cities usually spoke Vulgar Latin, it was this language that they learned the inhabitants of the regions and not the educated Latin.

In addition, with the end of the Roman Empire and the arrival of other empires such as the Germanic, numerous populations they remained isolated, causing these new dialects of Latin to evolve more and more until they became in the languages ​​we know today.

If you pay close attention to the formation of the words, you will see that all the Romance languages ​​are quite similar. Therefore, if you are a Spanish speaker, it will surely be much easier for you to understand an Italian than a Chinese. This has nothing to do with the closeness of our nations, but rather refers to the similarity in the skeleton of both languages.

we leave you with a clear example in which you can see how the main Romance languages ​​are very similar:

• Spanish: I love you
• Portuguese: I love you
• French: Je t'aime
• Italian: I love you
• Romanian: Te Iubesc

We have already explained to you which are the best-known Romance languages ​​today; however, we do not want to forget any of them and we are going to give each of these languages ​​the importance it deserves. This list shows All Romance languages ​​that currently exist:

• Aragonese
• aromanian
• Asturian
• Arpitano (French-Provençal)
• Catalan
• Corsican
• Emiliano-romañol
• extremeno
• fala
• French
• Cajun French
• Friulian
• Galician
• Istrian
• Italian
• Jerriais
• Judeo-Italian
• Ladino
• Ligurian
• lombard
• minderico
• look at yourself
• Napoletano-Calabrese
• Occitan
• picardo
• Piedmontese
• Portuguese
• romanol
• Romanian
• istroromanian
• meglenoromanian
• romansh
• Sardinian Campidanese
• Sardinian Gallurese
• Sardinian Logudorese
• Sardinian Sassarese
• Shuadit (Judeo-Provencal)
• Sicilian
• Spanish
• Spanish Charapa
• Venetian
• Wallonia
• Zarphatic

we leave you with a little text written in Spanish, the language you speak and two other languages, Italian and English. In this way you will be able to identify the similarities between the two Romance languages ​​and the differences that exist with English.

Spanish

The sun was shining in the blue sky. The birds sang in the trees. The breeze caressed my face. He was walking along the path and admiring the beauty of nature. I felt peace and tranquility in my heart. It was a perfect day to enjoy life outdoors.

Italian

The sun shone in the blue sky. Gli uccelli cantavano sugli alberi. La brezza accarezzava il mio viso. I walked on the feeling and admired the beauty of nature. I feel peace and tranquility in my heart. It was a perfetta giornata per godersi la vita all'aria aperta.

English

The sun was shining in the blue sky. The birds were singing in the trees. The breeze was caressing my face. I was walking along the trail and admiring the beauty of nature. I felt peace and tranquility in my heart. It was a perfect day to enjoy the outdoor life.

We hope this article has been of help to you to understand a little better the origin of romance languages and how Vulgar Latin has become the languages ​​we know today. If you are interested in continuing to learn more about this topic or some other similar one, do not hesitate to consult our section on literary concepts.

If you want to read more articles similar to Origin of Romance Languages: Summary, we recommend that you enter our category of Grammar and Linguistics.

• Daisy flower. b. (1953). The subjunctive of subordination in the Romance languages ​​and especially in Ibero-Romance. Magazine of Spanish Philology, 37, 95-129.
• Bermejo, v. L. (2017). The expression of the future in the Romance languages ​​of the Iberian Peninsula. Bulletin of the Royal Spanish Academy, 96(314), 529-558.