It still remains a mystery. However, the first historical reference the appearance of tongues is given in the biblical story about Tower of Babel. Babylon was a place where people lived in harmony and peace and spoke the same language. The inhabitants of Babylon decided to build a tower “high to the heavens... so as not to be scattered over the face of the earth,” thereby challenging God. As a result, God punished them and scattered them across the face of the earth and confused their languages. This, however, is all that we know about the origin of languages.
Do you know how many languages exist on planet Earth today? Apparently, in the world 2700 spoken languages And 7000 dialects. There are 365 in Indonesia alone various languages, while in Africa there are more than 1000 of them. The most complex language The world's most popular language is the Basque language, spoken in North-West Spain and South-West France. Its main feature is that it is unlike any other language in the world and is classified as an isolated language. The self-name of the language is Euskara.
The youngest language- Afrikaans, spoken in South Africa. One of the world's oldest languages, Aka-Bo or Bo, is now considered an extinct language as the last native speaker of Bo died on January 26, 2010, at the age of about 85. Bo is ancient language, once common in the Andaman Islands in India. The languages of the Andaman Islands are believed to have their origins in Africa, and some may even be as old as 70,000 years.
The Chinese language, or more precisely the Putonghua dialect, is the most widely spoken language in the world after English, and probably one of the most interesting and most complex. Among China's many other languages, Mandarin is by far the dominant one: it is spoken by about 800 million people, and another 200 million recognize it as a second language. Putonghua is spoken in much of northern and southwestern China. If you ever find yourself there to say hello to your interlocutors, all you have to do is say: “Nĭ hăo.”
Rotokas is the language of the province of Bougainville, on an island east of New Guinea. This language is known for having the smallest range of sounds. In the Rotokas language, the alphabet consists of twelve letters that represent eleven phonemes (AEIKOPRSTUV). The language has six consonants (K, P, R, S, T, V) and five vowels (A, E, I, O, U). The letters "T" and "S" represent the same phoneme /t/, while the letter "V" is sometimes written as "B".
The Vatican is the only state in the world where Latin is official language. In addition, the Vatican has the only ATM in the world, where you can read the instructions on Latin. And yet Latin counts dead tongue, since there are no people who would consider it their native language. Latin is still taught in schools and universities and is spoken fluently by various scholars and clergy. It is enough to cite well-known Latin phrases: alea jacta est (“the die is cast”), veni vidi vici (“came, saw, conquered”), carpe diem (“break the day”), divide et impera (“divide and conquer”).
Latin language (lat. lingua latina), or Latin, - the language of the Latin-Faliscan subgroup of the Italic languages of the Indo-European language family. Today it is the only actively used Italian language (although there have been no people with native Latin for at least a millennium and a half, therefore it should be considered a dead language).
Latin is one of the most ancient written Indo languages. European languages.
Today, Latin is the official language of the Holy See (Vatican City State), as well as the Roman Catholic Church and other Catholic churches.
The Latin alphabet is the basis of writing for many modern languages.
Latin Wikipedia(lat. Vicipdia listen)) is a Latin section of Wikipedia, opened in 2002. As of January 1, 2008, there were 17,621 articles (55th place); in May 2008, it exceeded the threshold of 20,000 articles. It is also interesting because the Latin language is considered a dead language (although more than 20 members of the English Wikipedia and a number of members of other language versions of Wikipedia call Latin their native language).
Articles about Latin
Project "Living Latin" (www.school.edu.ru)
Visiting the Russian general education portal. Site editor Mikhail Polyashev answers questions
Wap version of the portal (version for mobile phone) is available from any mobile phone at: wap.linguaeterna.com
In Defense of the Teaching of Latin (filolingvia.com)
Unfortunately, everyone knows that teaching Latin in our universities has turned into a tedious task, painful for both students and professors. All hope is for high school. Not only in specialized gymnasiums, where Latin is now fashionable, but also in simple schools it is necessary to introduce courses “ Ancient civilization”, where there would be a little bit of everything: the basics of the Latin language, Greek roots words, aphorisms, historical facts, mythology, philosophy, art, epigraphy.
How necessary and in demand is a course in popular practical Latin, where it would be studied as if it were alive, almost colloquial. And it is very useful to accustom our schools to this, so that students (and the teachers themselves) can always easily apply their knowledge at any step in life. So that they can immediately find Latin roots in complex scientific terms, foreign words, understand derivatives, read numerous epigraphs in Latin, quotes, inscriptions on houses and objects, mottos of companies and states. “Classics” guarantee: even if outwardly you are far from antiquity, the knowledge gained in this area will never lie as a dead weight on your soul. Someday they will definitely come in handy and help you.
To the question Where was the Latin language born? Countries where it is used? Which Interesting Facts related to him? given by the author Valentina the best answer is Latin belongs to the family of Indo-European languages of Italic origin.
In literary Latin, there are 4 periods, dating from the reign of Livy Andronicus and Cicero to Tiberius and Emperor Hadrian.
In the history of Italy and its spiritual development, as in history Italian language, the role of Latin was especially great. And this is understandable: Italy is historically the metropolis of the Roman Empire, the “garden of the Empire”, Italy is the direct heir of Ancient Rome, the cradle of the European Renaissance. It was here that Latin flourished as a written language for centuries, and where the confrontation and interaction between Latin and Latin lasted for an unusually long time. native language.
Having long been ousted from the living communication of mere mortals, Latin steadfastly held on as the official language of writing and in this sense never died in Italy. However, the golden age of Latin is associated with the Renaissance. The Latin language symbolized the continuity of tradition and the legality of ownership of the ancient heritage.
Evolution public life in Italy late XIV and in the 15th century, the crisis of urban communes, features of regression in social development brought new moments to language situation, put forward new factors for strengthening the position of Latin. An objective manifestation of the cult of Latin is the rich literature in this language - epistolary, journalistic, historical and philosophical prose, short stories (Florentine Poggio Bracciolini and his “Faceti”, Neapolitan Girolamo Morlini), poetry (Neapolitan Giovanni Poptano and Florentine Angelo Poliziano).
The cult of the Latin language finds its expression in its direct glorification, which is combined with deep philological study. Here, of course, the name of Lorenzo Balla, the author of the treatise “On the Beauties of the Latin Language,” should be mentioned.
Throughout the same historical era, which we call the Renaissance, the fortune of Latin in its brilliant run towards the status of a recognized common language Italy has changed.
The dangerous gap between written and living language ultimately turned out to be disadvantageous for the ruling classes, because it threatened their cultural power. Thus, the prerequisites for a new linguistic orientation arose
The change in milestones is clearly evident in the field of translation. The second half of the Quattrocento and the 16th century are the times when humanists different generations(“penitent sinners,” as Philip Monier once called them), are intensively engaged in the “vulgarization” of Latin books - translating them into Italian.
Latin remained the language of science for a long time, and it took the creative feat of Galileo for the science of Italy to confidently speak the popular Italian language.
The Latin language used to be common in ancient Rome and its environs. Then he gradually began to dominate the vast area around the pool Mediterranean Sea, from the Strait of Gibraltar in the West to the Euphrates River in the East and from North Africa to Great Britain.
Now the Latin language is widespread wherever there are professional doctors, biologists and philologists, as well as experts " catchphrases» .
The almost exclusive uniqueness of word-formation makes the Latin language (along with Greek) the most convenient means of replenishing the international scientific terminology in the most various areas science and life.
A few "catchphrases"
Non enim tam praeclarum est scire Latine, quam turpe nescire. - It is not so wonderful to know Latin as it is shameful not to know it (Cicero).
Ad cogitandum et agendum homo natus est. - Man is born for thought and action.
Amicus Plato, sed magis amica veritas. - Plato is my friend, but truth is dearer (Aristotle).
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Answer from 22 answers[guru]
Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: Where was the Latin language born? Countries where it is used? What interesting facts are associated with it?
Answer from Aljono4ka[guru]
Latin was originally the language of a small branch of the Italic tribe of Latins, who also lived in prehistoric times in the region above the Tiber and known as Latium. Together with the Roman conquest, the Latin language spread throughout Italy, and then beyond its borders to Gaul, Spain, etc. During the empire, the Latin language acquired worldwide significance.
Answer from Eurovision[guru]
The Latin language (self-called lingua latina), or Latin, is the language of the Latin-Faliscan subgroup of the Italic languages of the Indo-European language family. Today it is the only actively used Italian language (although there have been no people with native Latin for at least a millennium and a half, therefore, it should be considered a dead language).
Latin is one of the most ancient written Indo-European languages.
Nowadays, Latin is the official language of the Vatican State, as well as catholic church.
A large number of words in European (and not only) languages are of Latin origin (see also international vocabulary).
Latin alphabet is the basis for writing many modern languages.
Answer from Vote[guru]
Latin language was born in Ancient Rome, now he dead language, that is, it is not spoken anywhere, but it is the ancestor of modern Romance languages, the closest being Italian. More medical Latin used by doctors.
Answer from Kerosene[guru]
LATIN LANGUAGE, language of the Italic group Indo-European family languages. Developed on the basis of the Latin language. With the rise of Rome, it spread to all of Italy, then to a significant part of the Roman Empire. Becoming literary language- 3-2 centuries BC e. The popular spoken Latin language ceased to exist in the 9th century. , by this time the formation of Romance languages on its basis had ended. In the Middle Ages existed as a common written language Western European society, the Catholic Church, science and partly literature. Latin language played big role in the history of culture (especially Western European). In the 20th century used in scientific terminology. The language of the Catholic Church and the official language (along with Italian) of the Vatican.
Answer from Navruz[newbie]
The Latin language (Linqua Latina) received its name from a small Italian tribe of Latins (Latini), who lived in the region of Latium. This area is located in the middle part of the Apennine Peninsula. Here, according to legend, in 754/753. BC e. The city of Rome was founded by the brothers Romulus and Remus. Rome pursued an aggressive, aggressive policy. As Rome's conquests grew and the Roman state expanded, the Latin language became widespread not only in the Mediterranean basin, but also beyond its borders. Thus, until the second half of the 5th century. n. e. (476 - the year of the fall of the Western Roman Empire) Latin acquires international status throughout the Roman Empire. Latin became less widespread in Greece, conquered by the Romans in 146 BC. e. , as well as in Greek colonies located in the south of the Apennine Peninsula and the island of Sicily. These colonies were called Graecia Magna ( Magna Graecia) .
Widespread Latin language in the conquered territories was facilitated by its lexical richness, reflecting all areas human existence, as well as abstract concepts, grammatical harmony, brevity and precision of expression. The languages of the conquered peoples generally did not yet have such characteristics.
The history of the Latin language is divided into several periods:
Archaic period VI-IV centuries. BC e. ;
Preclassical period III-II centuries. BC e. - This is the period of formation of the literary Latin language. The main monuments of this period: the comedies of Plautus and Terence, as well as the treatise of Cato the Elder “On Agriculture”.
However, the Latin language reaches its greatest flourishing and perfection during the “Golden Age” - during the reign of Emperor Augustus (1st century BC). Classical, or “golden” Latin received its grammatical, syntactic and stylistic completeness. The “Golden Age” is the century of the highest flowering of Roman literature. At this time, Cicero, Virgil, Horace, Ovid, Caesar, and Sallust were working.
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The next stage in the history of the Latin language is the period of “Silver Latin” (1st century AD). It is characterized by deviations from the purity of the classical literary language and experiences a certain influence from the languages of the Roman colonies. By this time, phonetic and morphological norms literary language, spelling rules were established that still guide the publication of Latin texts. The Middle Ages in the history of the Latin language is characterized as the period of Latinĭtas vulgāris (“ Vulgar Latin") or also as Latinĭtas culinaria ("kitchen Latin"). It was during this period that a lot of new words and concepts that were absent in classical Latin were introduced into the Latin language.
However, in the era of humanism (XIV-XVII centuries), the Latin language again approaches the ideal of “golden Latin”. It was during this period that wonderful New Latin literature was created. The Belarusian Renaissance is also famous for its Latin-language authors. The names of Belarusian educators and poets are known to the whole world (Francisk Skaryna, Nikolai Gusovsky, Jan Wislitsky, Simeon Polotsky).
During the Middle Ages, Latin was taught in schools and universities Western Europe In addition, in this territory it functions as a common written language.
In modern times, up to the 18th century. , Latin is used as the language of science and diplomacy.
Currently, Latin is the official language of the Catholic Church and the Vatican State. In the Catholic Church, until the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), services were conducted only in Latin.
Despite the subsequent displacement of the Latin language by national languages, to this day it retains its importance in the field of scientific terminology, especially in law, biology, and medicine.
Latin belongs to the Indo-European languages. Today it is one of the dead languages. But, unlike many of them, it has practical use, although quite limited. This language is actively used in many fields - in addition to Catholic rites, one can name biology, medicine and law. Books are translated into Latin, radio broadcasts are conducted in it, etc.
The Romans, who dominated many peoples and tribes, could not help but influence their culture and, of course, their languages. The Roman Empire at its peak included most Europe, part of Africa and Asia. For some languages, this influence was decisive and they are considered descendants of Latin, but even those languages that have other roots would become an order of magnitude poorer if everything was removed from them Latin borrowings. It is also worth noting that a significant part of the vocabulary and writing of most European languages is rooted in Latin.
Latin had a special variety - vulgar or folk Latin, which differed from classical Latin and served as a colloquial variant in many provinces of the ever-expanding Roman Empire. It was this that became the basis for the Romance languages (from the Latin romanus - “Roman”) - Portuguese, Moldavian, Romanian and some others. Mixing with local dialects, Latin received an impetus for the development of new branches.
One of the reasons for this was that the Roman conquest of other less developed nations entailed the dominance of Latin in those areas where words of the native language were not enough, science, technology, medicine, etc. On initial period development Romance languages dispensed with writing and were considered common dialects.
At the same time, if the language was sufficiently developed, he might not experience too much strong influence and remain original, as happened with the Greek.
Indirectly, other languages were influenced by Latin, such as. This was inevitable, since trade interactions took place between nations. In addition, the spread of Christianity also brought with it a whole layer of borrowings.
Besides for a long time, up to XVIII century, Latin was not only in Europe the only language science and education, but also the language of international communication. Without knowledge of Latin it was impossible to gain knowledge, read scientific works and the most famous literary works.
In the Russian language, many words also have their roots in Latin. For example, “animation” - from the Latin root anima - “life”, vocals - from vox - “voice”, cabbage - from caput - “head”, etc. Many everyday concepts we also borrowed from the Romans. Such, for example, as the names of months or the names of planets. And besides, in everyday speech we often use direct borrowings from Latin, such as incognito, status quo, et cetera, de facto, vice versa, etc.
Latin is so firmly rooted in many languages and has become so integral part everyday communication and literature, that the question of whether Latin is truly a dead language or is it alive remains open.
We all sometimes want to impress the attention of our interlocutor in a conversation or to show off in a beautiful phrase correspondence. Good way to do this is to use phrases from the Latin language. The Latin tribe, which once inhabited the territory of modern central Italy, communicated with each other in Latin. According to legend, the most famous representatives This tribe - the brothers Romulus and Remus - are the founders of Rome. Sometimes we use Latin expressions without even knowing their origin. They are so firmly entrenched in the Russian language that we use these phrases without realizing their origin. For example, these are the words “alibi”, “alter ego”, “alma mater”. What other phrases will be of interest to those who would like to show off their oratory skills? We present to your attention several such expressions.
Achieve success from scratch
Authorship of one of the most popular Latin aphorisms often attributed to the philosopher Seneca: Per aspera ad astra, which literally translates as “Through thorns to the stars.” What does it mean? Each person goes through many stages on the path of his development. For some they are easy, but for others they have to make serious efforts in order to move to a new level. This expression can be used, for example, in cases where a person managed to open his own business without having a large amount of start-up capital. A year ago, he was “counting pennies,” but through hard and long work he managed to make his life and the life of his family comfortable. In this case, we can say that he went to his success through thorns and to the stars.
Man to man...
And here is another Latin aphorism, firmly rooted in ordinary speech: Homo homini lupus est. It is translated as “man is a wolf to man.” This expression is usually used when a speaker or letter writer wants to emphasize that people are usually strangers to each other. Few people will help to a stranger, and someone else’s misfortune rarely bothers anyone. This expression was first heard in the comedy “Donkeys” by the ancient Roman playwright named Plautus. In one of the most everyday scenes in this comedy, a man was supposed to transfer money to another through a slave, but refused to do so.
When asked again, he said, “You can’t convince me to put money in the hands of a stranger. A man is a wolf to a man if he does not know him.” We see that initially it was a matter of simple mistrust. But more late time this Latin aphorism acquired a slightly different meaning. It began to be applied to a society where everyone fights only for their own interests. This phrase was also used in T. Hobbes’s work “Leviathan”.
A beard is not an indicator of intelligence
Here's another Latin aphorism that the Romans liked to use to make a point: age is not always prerequisite mind. Barba crescit, caput nescit, which means "The beard grows, the head does not know." It often happens that a person, having reached a certain age, still has not gained enough practical knowledge. In this case, age is just a mark in the passport, which in no way indicates the presence life experience. The ancient Romans had another analogue of this aphorism: Barba non facit philosophum, which means “the beard has grown, but there is no intelligence.”
Forgive mistakes of yourself and others
And the following Latin aphorism is well suited for those who tend to take a philosophical view of things: Errare humanum est, which means “to err is human” (or “to err is human”). With the help of mistakes, a person really has a chance to gain invaluable experience. We also often say that only those who do nothing make no mistakes - that is, insurance against committing wrong actions can only be their complete absence. They knew about this back in Ancient Rome. Why not use this Latin aphorism when the opportunity arises?
The principle of power
Divide et impera - and this phrase translates as “divide and conquer.” This phrase can often be heard when we're talking about about governing a country divided into several parts. But it is often used in cases where we are talking about managing a group of people, for example in an enterprise. Who was the author of these words? Scientists have long wanted to find out who first said them. These words were a maxim in the Roman Senate, but are absent from classical Latin texts. But the expression “divide and conquer” is often found in French literature, for example, in the work “Roman History” by the author Charles Rollin.
The meaning of this phrase boils down to the following: a large team needs to be divided into several small ones - this will make it much easier to manage. Small groups are unlikely to be able to fight back existing form board.
Carpe diem
And here is a Latin aphorism with a translation that is probably known to everyone who is even more or less familiar with the English language: Carpe diem, which translated means “seize the day.” This phrase is often translated as “seize the day” or “enjoy life.” For many, the ability to live in the present moment is a certain psychological difficulty. But in fact, the ability to “seize the moment” should be mastered by every person who wants to live a full, healthy life. People, unlike our smaller brothers, have the gift of abstract thinking. This allows us not only to perceive the situation around us, but also to analyze it. Thanks to abstract thinking, we are able to adequately assess the situation and make the right decisions.
However, this same gift is also an obstacle, which makes it difficult for a person to relax and enjoy the current moment.
Failure to live according to the advice of the Romans always results in trouble. For example, if a young man wants to approach a girl, but begins to feel shy, then no matter how attractive he may be in appearance, most likely it will be very, very difficult to start a conversation. The same thing happens in interviews. When an applicant constantly pays attention to how he looks, whether he says everything correctly and appropriately, then the focus of his attention is constantly lost, which leads to unpleasant consequences. Most likely, the employer will not be interested in the personality of such a candidate and is unlikely to consider his ideas seriously.
Carpe noctem
There is another aphorism in Latin, which is the antonym of the above: Carpe noctem, or “catch the night.” This expression can be used to get additional motivation to adhere to the daily routine. It is better to finish all work before dark, and devote the evening and night to rest. Night rest is no less important than daytime work - after all, if a person does not rest in the dark, then he is unlikely to work productively during the day.
Useful phrases
Latin aphorisms in modern culture occupy an important place - and first of all they can be found in literary works. The widespread distribution of phrases from the Latin language is a consequence of the literacy of the population, mass education. But earlier, in the Middle Ages and even in modern times, knowledge of the Latin language and various phrases was the privilege of a few words of the population.
Here is a list of several aphorisms that will be useful both in writing a letter and for those who would like to create some kind of work of art - for example, write a book, a script for a movie, and possibly a song:
- Alea jacta est - [Alea jacta est]. “The die is cast,” in other words, there is no turning back.
- Docendo discimus - [docendo discimus]. This phrase translates as “by teaching, we learn.”
- Festina lente - [festina lente]. "Hurry slowly."
- Tertium non datur - [tertium non datur]. "There is no third".
These Latin aphorisms with translation and transcription will help you demonstrate your erudition and decorate any speech.
History of Archimedes
Both the ancient Greeks and Romans valued education very highly. Often learned men were under the tutelage of rulers. This position was occupied by one of the most famous mathematicians and engineers of that time - Archimedes. The fact is that during the Second Punic War, Archimedes’ inventions more than once saved the city of Syracuse, where the scientist lived, from enemy attacks.
But, unfortunately, respect for the scientist was not universal. According to historical sources, Archimedes was killed at the age of 75 by a Roman soldier for alienating him while immersed in work. Then the mathematician uttered one of the phrases that turned into an aphorism: “Don’t touch my circles!” (Noli turbare circulos meos!).
Latin aphorisms about medicine
Catchphrases that relate to human health, may be of interest to both the common man and those who are somehow connected with medicine.
For example, here is one of these expressions: Hygiena amica valetudinis. It is translated as “hygiene is the friend of health.” Of course, it’s hard to argue with this phrase: where there is unsanitary conditions, there is always a risk of various diseases.
And here is another Latin medical aphorism: Medica mente, non medicamentis. Its literal translation is in the following way: “Treat with your mind, not with medicine.” Indeed, if a person is simply prescribed medications that will affect one or another symptom, it will be extremely difficult to cure the disease once and for all. For example, many diseases have psychological roots. In this case, it is necessary to treat the root cause. By eliminating the psychological component that causes a person to experience constant stress, you can achieve a noticeable improvement in his condition. Moreover, if the disease is treated with conventional medications, then perhaps an improvement will occur, but the remission is unlikely to be long. Once the person is under the influence again negative factor, which will cause stress, the symptoms of the disease will make themselves felt again.
Phrases about love
There are also many Latin aphorisms about love. An example is the phrase Amor Caecus, which means “love is blind.” Another phrase is also known - Amor vincit omnia. It translates as “love conquers all.” Yes, the ancient Romans knew a lot about love. And therefore, Latin expressions can be successfully used in romantic correspondence.