Lateins

Lateins is a term used to denote Latin, the classical language of the Latins in ancient Italy and, more broadly, the language family that arose from them. In linguistic and historical discussions, Lateins covers Old Latin, Classical Latin, Late Latin, and the various strands of Vulgar Latin that evolved into the Romance languages, as well as Latin as a scholarly and cultural tradition.

Origins and development: Latin originated in Latium among Italic peoples and spread with Roman expansion. Classical Latin, centered in Rome, became the standard for literature and administration. After the Western Roman Empire declined, Latin remained the learned language of monasteries, universities, and diplomacy, giving rise to Medieval Latin and, later, Neo-Latin and ecclesiastical Latin.

Characteristics: Latin is an inflected language with noun cases, three genders, and a rich system of verb conjugations. Nouns and adjectives decline across several declensions; verbs mark tense, mood, voice, person, and number. Word order is flexible, but endings determine grammatical function. The vocabulary and syntax of Latin influenced many later European languages and scholarly terms.

Legacy and modern use: Latin shaped the development of the Romance languages and remains influential in science, medicine, and law through terminology. It is still used in ecclesiastical contexts and taught in universities as a key to classical literature and medieval scholarship, with ongoing production of Neo-Latin works and continued interest in Latin-language studies.