What Is Latin? A Kid-Friendly Guide to the Ancient Language
Latin is one of the oldest and most important languages in world history. It comes from the Italic branch of the Indo-European language family, just like Celtic. Over time, many new languages grew out of Latin, including Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and more. These are now called the Romance languages, but they all began with Latin!
A Language from the Time of Rome
Latin was first spoken in 753 B.C. by a small group of people living in and around Rome. As the Roman Empire grew stronger, Latin spread across Europe. During this time, two types of Latin were used:
- Classical Latin – A formal version used in writing, speeches, and poetry. It was taught in grammar and rhetoric schools.
- Vulgar Latin – A casual version people spoke every day. It sounded a bit different and wasn’t usually written down.
Later, a simpler version called Late Latin became popular. This helped spread Latin even further, especially through Christian writings and the early Catholic Church.
The Latin Alphabet
The Latin alphabet we use today started with 21 letters, taken from the Etruscan writing system. Over time, new letters like G, J, U, W, Y, and Z were added. Classical Latin didn’t have lowercase letters, spaces between words, or punctuation!
Here are a few interesting facts about the Latin alphabet:
- The letter G was added later to replace the use of C in some words.
- Z was removed and then brought back after the Romans met the Greeks.
- W was created by writing V twice.
- J came from the letter I, and U came from V.
Eventually, the Classical Latin alphabet included 23 letters. Here are a few examples:
| Letter | Name (Latin) | Sound (IPA) |
|---|---|---|
| A | á / ā | /a/ |
| B | bé / bē | /be/ |
| C | cé / cē | /ke/ |
| D | dé / dē | /de/ |
| E | é / ē | /e/ |
| V | v́ / ū | /u/ |
| X | ex | /ks/ |
| Y | graeca | /irajka/ |
| Z | zéta / zēta | /zeta/ |
These letters helped build thousands of words still used in many modern languages!
Is Latin Still Used Today?
Yes! Latin is still around. The Catholic Church uses Latin in its ceremonies, and many countries and schools still teach it. A lot of science and medical terms come from Latin. And did you know? About 50% of English words come from Latin!
Also, many places, military groups, and universities use Latin mottos. You may have seen one like “Carpe Diem” which means “Seize the Day.”
Learn Latin with Dinolingo
Kids can explore Latin today in a fun way! Dinolingo offers online Latin lessons with songs, videos, stories, and games. Whether children are learning Latin for school, history, or just curiosity, Dinolingo makes it simple and exciting for kids ages 2 to 14.
Latin may be an ancient language, but it still shapes our world today. From modern vocabulary to school mottos, Latin lives on. And thanks to tools like Dinolingo, even young learners can enjoy discovering the magic of this timeless language.
