american intercontinental university | HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS | LATIN AMERICA | | Sherry | 6/20/2013 |

There are several factors that are responsible for the rise of the vernacular language. The French were the first do their literacy work in the vernacular language. Vernacular language spread throughout Europe by the 14th century. |

Historical Foundations- Latin America

For many years the Latin language was dominating the western world. It had a very large impact on the medieval way of life. The ones that lived the farthest away began going through the changes first. There were a lot of people that chose to use their vernacular language rather than Latin.
The English had several vernaculars at this time. Depending on which social class you were in, was the vernacular language that you used.
Germany started using the vernacular language as early as the eighth century. The vernacular language was being used in most of Europe by the fourteenth century. They weren’t worried so much about the grammar and spelling though, they were just concerned that the people with different languages would be able to read and to understand a very common language and communicate with each other.
There was a big impact on the cultures due to the vernacular languages. The Latin language seemed to be disappearing, but with three possible outcomes. They thought that fewer people would be literate and hold power over the ones that couldn’t use it. They were thinking that maybe everyone needed to learn the Latin language, even though the language was disappearing. Then there was the vernacular language that could be adopted and then set to the language that was spoken by all.
Historical Foundations- Latin America

Back then the poets were thinking of themselves as the conduits of knowledge. They were starting to put the knowledge into the language that everyone could understand and enjoy.
The creation of the national identity was brought forth by the vernacular. It went from being used in stories and songs into all ways of life.
Courtly literature was an important part of the shifting from Latin to the vernacular language. The role of women was also on the rise as it was upstanding women wanted their works to be written and translated into the vernacular language. Many people did not speak Latin, not even the higher class, so that put the vernacular language on the rise. The vernacular language was used as the language of literature, historical records, and personal expression by the fifteenth century. It was easier to convert people to Christianity by using the vernacular language, it was used over Latin. The vernacular language helped to increase literacy.
Although the standard language united the religious communities, it was basically the vernacular language. The vernacular language is a very important way to stabilize the identity of a culture, which not only binds the culture together, but emphasizes the difference to different cultures.

Historical Foundation- Latin America

The role that women played in the rise of the vernacular language should never be underestimated. They played a very important role. The women were the ones that got works to be written or translated to the vernacular language. When women wanted to participate in the cultural debates, it had to be in the vernacular language.
The poetry, heroic styles, and the vernacular languages of the ancient languages became used in the medieval circles. The vernacular language developed new written forms that were slightly based on the verbal vernacular languages. The likeness of these new written forms of the languages used in everyday life allowed the use of the vernacular language to expand very quickly in all area.
In the late twelfth century, politics, government and legal documents began to be written in the vernacular language as well.
The movable-type printing press was a contribution to the success of the vernacular language. There were many other achievements that were associated with the success of the press, which included: relief printing, printer’s ink, paper quality, and printing press mechanisms. These were all a big contribution to this new process. The first book Gutenburg printed, the Bible, was in the vernacular language.

Historical Foundations- Latin America

References:

Discovering the Humanities, Sayre, chapters, 4, 5, 6 www.medievalwriting.50megs.com/whyread/vernac.htm www.bukisa.com/twelthcentury-latin-was-the-language-used-among