where does the roman language come from?
Latin Language
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 The native language of the Romans was Latin . 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 actual spoken language was Vulgar Latin , which significantly differed from Classical Latin in grammar , vocabulary , and eventually pronunciation . Rome 's expansion spread Latin throughout Europe , and over time Vulgar Latin evolved and dialectised in different locations , gradually shifting into a number of distinct Romance languages . Many of these languages , including French , Italian , Portuguese , Romanian and Spanish , flourished , the differences between them growing greater over time . Although English is Germanic rather than Roman in origin , English borrows heavily from Latin and Latin @-@ derived words . 

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 The language of the Romans was Latin , which Virgil emphasizes as a source of Roman unity and tradition . Until the time of Alexander Severus ( reigned 222 – 235 ) , the birth certificates and wills of Roman citizens had to be written in Latin . Latin was the language of the law courts in the West and of the military throughout the Empire , but was not imposed officially on peoples brought under Roman rule . This policy contrasts with that of Alexander the Great , who aimed to impose Greek throughout his empire as the official language . As a consequence of Alexander 's conquests , koine Greek had become the shared language around the eastern Mediterranean and into Asia Minor . The " linguistic frontier " dividing the Latin West and the Greek East passed through the Balkan peninsula . 

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 The dominance of Latin among the literate elite may obscure the continuity of spoken languages , since all cultures within the Roman Empire were predominantly oral . In the West , Latin , referred to in its spoken form as Vulgar Latin , gradually replaced Celtic and Italic languages that were related to it by a shared Indo @-@ European origin . Commonalities in syntax and vocabulary facilitated the adoption of Latin . 

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 After the decentralization of political power in late antiquity , Latin developed locally into branches that became the Romance languages , such as Spanish , Portuguese , French , Italian and Romanian , and a large number of minor languages and dialects . Today , more than 900 million people are native speakers worldwide . 

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 Romans who received an elite education studied Greek as a literary language , and most men of the governing classes could speak Greek . The Julio @-@ Claudian emperors encouraged high standards of correct Latin ( Latinitas ) , a linguistic movement identified in modern terms as Classical Latin , and favoured Latin for conducting official business . Claudius tried to limit the use of Greek , and on occasion revoked the citizenship of those who lacked Latin , but even in the Senate he drew on his own bilingualism in communicating with Greek @-@ speaking ambassadors . Suetonius quotes him as referring to " our two languages " . 
