Languages
Latin was the official language of Hispania during the Roman Empire's 600 year reign over the area ending around 400 AD, even though the native languages of the Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula persisted. Even after the fall of Rome and the invasion of the Germanic Visigoths and Suebi, Latin was spoken by the majority of the Hispano-Roman population, but, as in most areas of the Roman Empire that maintained Latin, it had by then evolved into Vulgar Latin, from which all of the modern languages of the Iberian Peninsula derive (the Iberian Romance languages) with the exception of Basque.
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Famous quotes containing the word languages:
“The very natural tendency to use terms derived from traditional grammar like verb, noun, adjective, passive voice, in describing languages outside of Indo-European is fraught with grave possibilities of misunderstanding.”
—Benjamin Lee Whorf (1897–1934)
“The less sophisticated of my forbears avoided foreigners at all costs, for the very good reason that, in their circles, speaking in tongues was commonly a prelude to snake handling. The more tolerant among us regarded foreign languages as a kind of speech impediment that could be overcome by willpower.”
—Barbara Ehrenreich (b. 1941)
“People in places many of us never heard of, whose names we can’t pronounce or even spell, are speaking up for themselves. They speak in languages we once classified as “exotic” but whose mastery is now essential for our diplomats and businessmen. But what they say is very much the same the world over. They want a decent standard of living. They want human dignity and a voice in their own futures. They want their children to grow up strong and healthy and free.”
—Hubert H. Humphrey (1911–1978)