Italian is a Romance language that evolved from Latin. Italian, along with other Romance languages such as French, Spanish and Portuguese, developed as different dialects of Latin diversified over time in various geographical regions.

The origins of Italian can be traced back to the Vulgar Latin, which was a version of Latin used in everyday life during the expansion of the Roman Empire. As Latin spread, it transformed into regional dialects and over time, these dialects contributed to the formation of the Italian language.

The standardization and literary development of Italian occurred during the Middle Ages, largely thanks to famous Italian writers like Dante Alighieri, Petrarch and Boccaccio. Their works played a significant role in enriching and refining the Italian language, elevating it to the status of a literary and cultural language.

In summary, while the roots of Italian can be traced back to Latin, it evolved into a modern language through the contributions of prominent Italian authors during the Middle Ages.

If you are interested in knowing more about the Italian language and its history, take a look of this page!