This article is an excerpt from Le Figaro Histoire "At the sources of Western civilization". Find in this issue a special report on everything we owe to Greek and Roman antiquity.
At the Sources of Western Civilization Le Figaro Special Edition
Roman languages
The evidence is sometimes what is least visible: because it is there, because it does not hide, we do not become aware of it and we look elsewhere for what is in front of us. So it is with the Latin origin of French. However, from the point of view of this extremely technical and refined science, sure of its methods and results, which is historical linguistics, the cause is understood, and for a long time: French is nothing other than Latin, Latin continued, transformed, certainly, metamorphosed even by centuries and centuries of autonomous life, but, for the most part, descending all the same in direct line from Latin, its mother language of which it is the daughter-language, granddaughter rather if we take into account the intermediate stage of the Romance languages.
Aule Metele or L'Arringatore (the orator), Etruscan bronze statue, first century BC (Florence, Museo Archeologico Nazionale). NPL - DeA Picture Library / G. Nimatallah / Bridgeman Images
What efforts...
This article is for subscribers only. You still have 98% to discover.
Want to read more?
Unblock all items immediately.
TEST FOR 0,99€
Already a subscriber? Log
