Here's why:
* Latin's Evolution: Latin, the language of the Roman Empire, began to diverge into various regional dialects as the empire spread. This spoken, everyday version of Latin became known as "Vulgar Latin."
* Romance Languages: After the fall of the Roman Empire, these Vulgar Latin dialects continued to evolve independently, eventually giving rise to the Romance languages, including Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Romanian.
* Italian's Origins: Italian specifically emerged from the Vulgar Latin spoken in central Italy, particularly in the region around Rome.
So, while Italian shares a common ancestor with other Romance languages, its specific roots lie in the Vulgar Latin spoken in central Italy.