Vulgar Latin:
* Around 500 AD: The colloquial language spoken by everyday people in the Roman Empire began to diverge significantly from the formal, literary Latin used by the elite. This "Vulgar Latin" evolved into the Romance languages (French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, etc.).
* By 800 AD: Vulgar Latin was the primary language of most of the former Roman Empire, and literary Latin was largely confined to scholarly and religious circles.
Medieval Latin:
* From 800 AD to 1500 AD: Latin continued to be used in education, law, religion, and literature. It was considered the lingua franca (common language) of scholarship throughout Europe.
* Even though it was used, it continued to evolve and change, becoming less like Classical Latin.
Modern Latin:
* After 1500 AD: With the rise of national languages, the use of Latin declined in most areas of daily life. However, it remained the language of the Catholic Church, some academic disciplines, and international diplomacy.
* Today: While Latin is not a spoken language in the sense of being a primary language, it is still used in some contexts, such as:
* Catholic Church liturgy and official documents
* Some academic disciplines, particularly law and medicine
* Scientific names for plants and animals
* International organizations like the Vatican and some courts
* Studying classical literature and history
So, it's not accurate to say that Latin stopped being spoken. It evolved into the Romance languages, continued to be used in various contexts, and is still actively studied and used in specialized domains.