Ancient Rome

===Language===
{{Main|Latin}}
The native [[language]] of the Romans was [[Latin]], an [[Italic languages|Italic language]] the [[Latin grammar|grammar of which]] relies little on word order, conveying meaning through a system of [[affix]]es attached to [[word stem]]s.<ref>[http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/lrc/eieol/latol-0-X.html Latin Online: Series Introduction] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150429221355/http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/lrc/eieol/latol-0-X.html |date=29 April 2015 }} by Winfred P. Lehmann and Jonathan Slocum. Linguistics Research Center. The University of Texas at Austin. 15 February 2007. Retrieved 1 April 2007.</ref> Its [[Latin alphabet|alphabet]] was based on the [[Old Italic alphabet|Etruscan alphabet]], which was in turn based on the [[Greek alphabet]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Calvert |first=J.B. |date=8 August 1999 |title=The Latin Alphabet |url=http://www.du.edu/~etuttle/classics/latalph.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070403040205/http://www.du.edu/~etuttle/classics/latalph.htm |archive-date=3 April 2007 |website=University of Denver}}</ref> Although surviving [[Latin literature]] consists almost entirely of [[Classical Latin]], an artificial and highly stylised and polished [[literary language]] from the 1st century BC, the [[spoken language]] of the Roman Empire was [[Vulgar Latin]], which significantly differed from Classical Latin in [[grammar]] and [[vocabulary]], and eventually in pronunciation.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070810033726/http://classics.lss.wisc.edu/courses/Classical_Latin_Supplement.pdf Classical Latin Supplement]. p. 2. Retrieved 2 April 2007.</ref> Speakers of Latin could understand both until the 7th century when spoken Latin began to diverge so much that 'Classical' or 'Good Latin' had to be learned as a second language.<ref>József Herman, ''Vulgar Latin'', English translation 2000, pp. 109–114 {{ISBN|978-0271020013}}</ref>

While Latin remained the main written language of the Roman Empire, [[Greek language|Greek]] came to be the language spoken by the well-educated elite, as most of the literature studied by Romans was written in Greek. Most of the emperors were bilingual but had a preference for Latin in the public sphere for political reasons, a practice that first started during the [[punic wars]].{{sfnm|Rochette|2023|1p=263,268|Rochette|2018|2p=114-115,118}} In the eastern part of the Roman Empire (and later the [[Eastern Roman Empire]]), Latin was never able to replace Greek, a legacy of the [[Hellenistic period]].{{Sfn|Rochette|2018|pp=108}} Justinian would be the last emperor to use Latin in government and marks when Greek officially took over.{{sfnm|1a1=Adkins|1a2=Adkins|1y=1998|1p=203|2a1=Kaldellis|2y=2023|2p=289|3a1=Rochette|3y=2011|3p=562|4a1=Rochette|4y=2023|4p=283}} The expansion of the Roman Empire spread Latin throughout Europe, and Vulgar Latin evolved into many distinct [[Romance languages]].