History of the Italian language
The Italian language evolved from Vulgar Latin, the spoken form of Latin that was used by the common people of the Roman Empire. Vulgar Latin began to diverge from Classical Latin, the written language of the educated elite, in the late Roman Empire. By the 6th century AD, Vulgar Latin had become so different from Classical Latin that it was no longer mutually intelligible.
The various dialects of Vulgar Latin that were spoken in Italy eventually merged to form the Italian language. The first written documents in Italian date from the 10th century AD. Italian literature began to flourish in the 13th century with the works of Dante Alighieri, Petrarch, and Boccaccio.
Dialects of Italian
There are many dialects of Italian, which vary in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. The standard Italian language, known as _italiano standard_ (_standard Italian_), is based on the Tuscan dialect spoken in Florence. However, many people in Italy speak regional dialects as their first language.
Italian in the world
Italian is the official language of Italy, San Marino, and Vatican City. It is also spoken by large communities of emigrants in the Americas and Europe. Italian is taught as a second language in many schools around the world.
Italian culture
The Italian language is an integral part of Italian culture. It is the language of literature, music, art, and cinema. Italian is also the language of everyday life for millions of people around the world.