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The Lord's Prayer in Latin(the "Pater Noster")PATER noster, qui es in cœlis; sicut in cœlo, et in terra. (Catechism of the Catholic Church)
to which may be added:- Quia tuum est regnum, et potestas, et Gloria,
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A Brief History of the Latin LanguageAlthough largely in disuse in its spoken form, Latin is one of the worlds most influential languages. Many languages owe their origins to latin - for example Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Catalan and Romanian, and other minor languages. (These are known collectively as the "romance" languages). In addition, many other world languages (especially European ones) have inherited vocabulary from Latin.
It's origins can be traced back some 2500 to 3000 years. It is the original language of Ancient Rome, and through the Roman conquest spread to most parts of western and central europe. By the time of the 9th century, there are the first known writings of the Romance languages. These languages all stem from vulgar latin, being at first the spoken language of people groups, which gradually over time became distinct enough from their latin origins to become a language in their own right. (For example, Portuguese replaced Latin as the official language of Portugal in 1296). During the Middle ages, Latin became more fragmented, with wide discrepencies between those who wrote in Latin as to the meaning and use of words. However, with the coming of the Renaissance, the language again flourished, and several scholars set about recovering what they believed to be "Classical" latin, issuing strict guidelines has to how the language was to be used.
Latin and the Roman Catholic Church
Latin remains the official language of the Holy See and the Vatican City-State. The Vatican City is the only place in the world which has an ATM with Latin instructions! Although the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) permitted the Mass to be conducted in the vernacular language, Latin remains the official language of the Roman Catholic Mass, and as such, the Lord's Prayer cited above (without the doxology written at the end) is the official liturgical version (taken from the Catechism of the Catholic Church). However, in most parts of the world, with the exception of the Vatican, the Lord's prayer is generally spoken in the language indigenous to the community.
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Contemporary Latin
Elsewhere, Latin is still in widespread use as a language for "naming" things - especially in the realms of science, medicine and law. In contemporary culture, Latin is often referenced to or quoted. For example, the film "The Dead Poets Society" (starring Robin Williams, released in 1989 and directed by Peter Weir) became famous for the use of it's Latin phrase "Carpe Diem" (meaning "Seize the day"). The Latin alphabet (when taking into account its modern day derivates - the English, French and Spanish alphabets) is the most popular used alphabet system in the world.
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