vulgares

Vulgares is a term used in Spanish and Portuguese as the plural form of vulgar, applied to people, behavior, or forms that are crude, common, or not refined. In everyday language, it can describe manners, expressions, or aesthetics considered unsophisticated or coarse.

Etymology and meaning: Vulgar comes from Latin vulgaris, meaning "of the common people" or "ordinary." The root vulgus refers to the general populace, as opposed to elites or learned classes. Over time, the sense broadened to include behaviors or speech judged as uncultured or unbecoming.

Linguistic usage: In linguistics, the word appears in discussions of nonstandard varieties. The term “vulgar Latin” designates the vernacular Latin spoken by ordinary people in the late Roman Republic and Empire, which evolved into the Romance languages. In modern Portuguese and Spanish, "vulgar" and its plural "vulgares" can describe linguistic forms, expressions, or registers that diverge from prescriptive norms. The related noun "vulgarismo" denotes a vulgarism or nonstandard linguistic form.

Social and cultural context: The label vulgares often reflects social judgments about refinement or class. It can be used descriptively in academic contexts but may carry pejorative connotations in everyday speech. In historical or literary discussions, it helps distinguish between elite cultural norms and popular or vernacular practices.

See also: vulgar Latin, vulgar language, nonstandard language, sociolinguistics, vulgarismo.