Latin vs Spanish
Latin is a very old language, a language of the Romans. It is also referred to as the progenitor of the romance languages of which Spanish is one. The other romance languages are Portuguese, French, Italian, and Romanian. Though Latin is today considered a dead language, mostly limited to studies in colleges and universities and in research papers of scholars, it lives in the minds of the people. There are many similarities between Latin and Spanish though there are also differences that will be highlighted in this article.
Latin
Latin is an ancient language that was spoken by the soldiers and traders, the so called common people in the times of the Romans and the Roman Empire. There was a refined version of this language that was spoken by the upper classes in the Roman Empire. It was the form spoken by the masses that came to be referred to as Vulgar Latin by later scholars while the one spoken by the upper classes was called Classical Latin. Latin is believed to have originated in the Italian peninsula and is called an italic language.
Spanish
Castile in Spain is the region where Spanish language is deemed to have originated. It is a major language of the world that is spoken by more than 400 million people; second only in number to Mandarin. It is also an official language at the United Nations reflecting the importance of the language worldwide. It is believed that Spanish language evolved from several Latin dialects that were spoken in Iberian region. The language got patronage in the kingdom of Castile and slowly became a prominent language spoken in a very large area. The language had many influences from Arabic, as well as Basque languages, and it was spread to the Americas as well as Africa with the expansion of the Spanish Empire. This explains why Spanish is most widely spoken and understood language in the western world.
Latin vs Spanish
• Spanish evolved from several Latin dialects spoken in the region of Iberia in the 9th century.
• Latin is thus the progenitor of Spanish language though Spanish has had many influences from Arabic and Basque languages.
• Latin flourished during Roam Empire, and it is considered dead nowadays, whereas Spanish is a modern language spoken and understood by more than 400 million people.