Here's a breakdown:
Europe:
* Latin: This was the language of scholarship, religion, and administration across most of Europe. It was the language of the Church, used in legal documents, and the lingua franca of intellectual discourse.
* Vernacular Languages: These were the everyday languages spoken by ordinary people. These included:
* Romance Languages: French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and Catalan all evolved from Vulgar Latin, spoken by the common people.
* Germanic Languages: English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, etc., all developed from the various Germanic languages spoken in different parts of Europe.
* Slavic Languages: Russian, Polish, Czech, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, etc., branched out from Proto-Slavic, spoken in Eastern Europe.
* Other Languages: Greek, Hungarian, Basque, etc., were also spoken in various parts of Europe.
The Middle East:
* Arabic: Was the dominant language of the Islamic world, used in religious texts, administration, and scholarship.
* Other Languages: Persian, Hebrew, and various other languages were spoken in different regions of the Middle East.
Asia:
* Chinese: Several regional dialects and forms of Chinese were spoken, though a standard written form existed.
* Other Languages: Japanese, Korean, Sanskrit, and countless other languages were spoken across the vast continent of Asia.
Important Points:
* Shifting Boundaries: Language boundaries were less defined than they are today. There was often a lot of linguistic mixing and variation within specific regions.
* Language and Power: The languages used by rulers and elites often had a significant influence on the language landscape. For example, the adoption of French as the language of the English court in the 11th century had a major impact on the development of the English language.
So, while there was no single language spoken during the Medieval period, there were a rich tapestry of languages, each reflecting the complex history, culture, and power dynamics of the time.