4. Language

One legacy of Rome that affects modern society every day is the Roman language, Latin. English speakers use the Latin alphabet, although Roman Latin used 23 letters, and English uses 26. Many English words come from Latin. Additionally, Latin proverbs are still in use. For example, look at the reverse side of a U.S. dime. You will see the words E pluribus unum, which translates from Latin to "out of many, one." This is the official motto of the United States. The motto reminds Americans of how the colonies joined together to form the United States.

Several modern European languages developed from Latin, including Italian, Spanish, and French. English is a Germanic language, but it was strongly influenced by the French-speaking Normans, who conquered England in 1066 C.E. English has borrowed heavily from Latin, both directly and by way of French.

The influence of Latin can be seen in many words English speakers use today. For example, the modern calendar comes from the one adopted by Julius Caesar. The names of several months are derived from Latin. August honors Caesar Augustus. September comes from Latin words meaning "the seventh month." (The Roman year started in March.)

Many English words begin with Latin prefixes. A prefix is a set of letters at the beginning of a word that carries its own meaning. Attaching a prefix to a root word creates a new word with a new meaning. In fact, the word prefix is formed this way because it comes from pre- ("in front of") and -fix ("to fasten" or "to attach"). The table called The Roman Legacy in Modern Words and Numerals illustrates other examples, as well as other English words that come from Latin root words. For instance, manual developed from manus, the Latin word for "hand."

Finally, Roman numerals are often still used in the modern world.The Romans used a system of letters to write numbers. Look at the bottom section of the table. You may see Roman numerals, such as these, on clocks, sundials, and the first pages of books, like this one. You might also find Roman numerals on buildings and in some movie credits to indicate the year in which they were made.

The Romans combined the seven letters shown in the table to express larger numbers. Putting letters after another adds the value of the additional letters. For example, VIII means 5 + 3 = 8 and XX means 10 + 10 = 20. Putting a letter before a letter with a greater value subtracts its value. For example, IV means 5 – 1 = 4 and IX means 10 – 1 = 9.