The main language of the ancient Romans was Latin and Greek. This was due to prior people who spoke these languages influencing the area and spreading their language (Grisbly). Latin was the official language of ancient Rome and was used in things such as the law and most literature. Greek was a great influence on the language of Rome, but was really only seen among the upper class and writings that were translated from Greek (Paravati).
The official language of the Romans was Latin. It was not named roman because they had already established it as the lingua latina, or the latin tongue. The Latin language is named after a region in Italy named Latium where Rome is located. There is written evidence of Latin that has dated back to around 200 and 500 B.C. (Zecca-Naples). Latin belongs to the Indo-European language family (Moulton). The Latin language was spread through the Romans controlling more land, and was a huge symbol of the Romans and their government. There are many forms of Latin, and the usage depended on the people who spoke them and their level of education. This included Old Latin, Classical Latin,
…show more content…
Many of the people in Rome were bilingual and spoke both Greek and Latin, though most people who were bilingual were in the upper class or elite. This was so they could trade and communicate with other countries (Paravati). Latin was more predominant in the Western Roman Empire, while Greek was more predominant in the Eastern Roman Empire. Rome continued to conquer areas in Greece and other countries near it, which is why Greek played a big role in the language of Rome. The immersion of Greek culture and language developed Latin to what it was in ancient Rome (Moulton). The Latin alphabet was derived from Greek. Documents were transcribed from Greek to Latin on many occasions, as well as documents and official forms and military ranks that switched in between the two languages