Where does latin originate from?

Latin originates from Old Latin, a language spoken by the Latin people in ancient Rome. It developed from Proto-Italic, a language spoken by Indo-European people in the Italian peninsula around the 8th century BC.

Here's a simplified timeline:

1. Proto-Indo-European: The ancestor of most European languages, including Latin.

2. Proto-Italic: A branch of Proto-Indo-European spoken in the Italian peninsula.

3. Old Latin: Spoken by the Latin people in ancient Rome, evolving from Proto-Italic.

4. Classical Latin: The standardized form of Latin used in literature, law, and administration during the Roman Republic and Empire.

5. Vulgar Latin: The spoken form of Latin, which diverged into various regional dialects.

6. Romance Languages: Modern languages like French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and Catalan that evolved from Vulgar Latin.

So, while Latin itself originated from Old Latin, its roots go even deeper into the Proto-Indo-European language family.