Origins of Latin

Question 1

What lanuages is Latin the direct ancestor of?

Answer 1

The ‘romance’ languages.
These consist of:
➔ Italian
➔ French
➔ Spanish

Question 2

What is the relationship between English and Latin?

Answer 2

➔ Latin is not a direct ancestor of the English lanuage.
➔ Latin has given us an enomourous number of English words. Some estimate that around half of English words come from Latin.

Question 3

Medieval England Latin’s Influence on English

Answer 3

• 6th Century- The Latin of the Christian Church added new words to which was then essentinely Anglo-saxon.
• 11th Century- words deprived from Norman French and Written Latin entered English due to William the Conquerer’s invasion of England.

English had two versions of what was orignally a single Latin word, in some instances.

Therefore, English often has two words expressing the same idea: one of Anglo-saxon origin, the other of Latin origin. Anglo-saxon words can often seem more simple and straightforward in style, while Latinate words can seem more scientific and academic.

Question 4

Roman Empire Latin’s Influence on English

Answer 4

1-15th Century- Latin words entered ordinary speech when Celtic Britian was part of the Roman Empire.

Question 5

The Reissance in Europe- The Enlightment in Britian

Answer 5

19-20th Century- The growth of science and technology produces thousands more words derieved from Latin, such as decimal and computer.