preview

How Did Portuguese Influence The Spread Of Latin

Decent Essays
Open Document

Portuguese, as mentioned above, has its roots in Latin. Latin was the primary language spoken in Rome during the height of the Roman Empire. However, the growth and expansion of the Roman Empire had a tremendous impact on Latin. Two distinct dialects of Latin evolved--namely Classical Latin and Vulgar Latin. Classical Latin was used in the upper class society and in all the administrative and political affairs, where it was fairly stable. Vulgar Latin developed from the more common speech of the people; it was used by soldiers, common citizens, and even by the peoples conquered by Rome. Thus, when the Romans conquered the Iberian Peninsula -- the geographic location where Portuguese eventually developed -- in 218 BC, the soldiers and citizens

Get Access