How the single language of the Roman Empire fragmented into French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian. Wyman traces how the breakdown of Roman political and economic networks allowed linguistic drift to accelerate.
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Highlights
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Language change reflects social and economic change
Latin didn't evolve into Romance languages through linguistic laws alone — it fragmented because the political and economic networks that maintained linguistic unity collapsed.
Slow, invisible changes can be more consequential than dramatic events
No one noticed Latin becoming French. The transformation was too slow for any single generation to perceive. Yet this invisible change was more consequential than most wars or invasions.