What Are The Romance Languages?

There is a group of languages that is descended from the form of Latin spoken by the ordinary people of Rome. They are known as the Romance Languages, and they are: French, Provencal (including Catalan), Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian and Rhaeto-Romanian dialects.

These languages developed in the region of Roman Empire in Europe. When the Roman soldiers, traders and colonists came to these areas, they made the natives use their language.

In ancient Rome there was classic Latin, the speech of literature, oratory and formal conversation. But at the same time there was the everyday speech of the common people, the Vulgar Latin.

This grew in Rome and then was carried to the provinces by those who went to settle there. But there were local differences, and new nations began to grow, so this form of Latin then developed into separate languages.

As the time went on, the various romance languages began to change even more in pronunciation. Words from outside sources were used and changed to fit the language.