Latin is no longer the official language of
any country but that by no means says that Latin is not relevant. Over a million
people have a first or second language that came from Latin. Latin originated
from a region in the west of Italy called Latium that grew over time to become
the focal point and capital of the Roman Empire. Latium was ideally situated
beside the river Tiber on rich, volcanic land. Even before the rise of the empire the rivers influence
would have facilitated the spread of Latin because the Latins interacted with
many other tribes when travelling and they brought their language with them.
The geographical factors that allowed the village,
hence the language, to flourish include the surrounding mountains that provided
protection, the Mediterranean climate that encouraged agriculture and meant foods
like olives could be grown, a valuable commodity in ancient Rome.
To conclude; the languages so many of us
speak today would be virtually unrecognisable if the location of one river
changed. It’s important we give geography credit where credit is due.
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