Ancient history

What is the language of everyday speech in middle ages?

In the Middle Ages, the language of everyday speech varied greatly depending on the region and time period. In Europe, Latin was the language of the Church, scholarship, and diplomacy, but it was not commonly spoken by the general population. Instead, people spoke various vernacular languages, which were the ancestors of the modern European languages.

Some of the major vernacular languages of the Middle Ages were:

* Old English: spoken in England from the 5th to the 12th century

* Old French: spoken in France from the 9th to the 14th century

* Old German: spoken in Germany from the 8th to the 16th century

* Old Norse: spoken in Scandinavia from the 8th to the 14th century

* Old Italian: spoken in Italy from the 10th to the 14th century

* Old Spanish: spoken in Spain from the 10th to the 15th century

In addition to these major languages, there were also numerous other vernacular languages spoken in Europe during the Middle Ages, such as Breton, Catalan, Cornish, Galician, Occitan, and Welsh.

The language of everyday speech in the Middle Ages was often quite different from the literary language of the same period. Literary works were often written in Latin or in a highly stylized form of the vernacular language, while the language of everyday speech was more informal and varied.