PLEASE First, we must briefly consider Latin’s humble beginnings, and in doing so address one of the very first questions that naturally arises in any discussion of Latin’s origins—why the language isn’t called “Roman.” After all, it was the language of Rome, and it was the power and influence of the Roman Empire that spread Latin throughout Europe and beyond. Furthermore, the European languages that come from Latin are known as the “Romance” languages. So it seems very strange indeed that the name for the language of the Romans isn’t “Roman,” or a similar derivative of Romanus, which was the Roman’s name for their race.
