THE ANGLO-NORMAN, AND THE LANGUAGES OF THE CLASSICAL STOCK.

s. 64. The languages of Greece and Rome belong to one and the same stock.

The Greek and its dialects, both ancient and modern, constitute the Greek
of the Classical stock.

The Latin in all its dialects, the old Italian languages allied to it, and
the modern tongues derived from the Roman, constitute the Latin branch of
the Classical stock.

Now, although the Greek dialects are of only secondary importance in the
illustration of the history of the English language, the Latin elements
require a special consideration.

This is because the Norman French, introduced into England by the battle of
Hastings, is a language derived from the Roman, and consequently a language
of the Latin branch of the Classical stock.

s. 65. The Latin language overspread the greater part of the Roman empire.
It supplanted a multiplicity of aboriginal languages; just as the English
of North America _has_ supplanted the aboriginal tongues of the native
Indians, and just as the Russian _is_ supplanting those of Siberia and
Kamskatka.

Sometimes the war that the Romans carried on against the old inhabitants
was a war of extermination. In this case the original language was
superseded _at once_. In other cases their influence was introduced
gradually. In this case the influence of the original language was greater
and more permanent.

Just as in the United States the English came in contact with an American,
whilst in New Holland it comes in contact with an Australian language, so
was the Latin language of Rome engrafted, sometimes on a Celtic, sometimes
on a Gothic, and sometimes on some other stock. The nature of the original
language must always be borne in mind.

From Italy, its original seat, the Latin was extended in the following
chronological order:--

1. To the Spanish Peninsula; where it overlaid or was engrafted on
languages allied to the present Biscayan.

2. To Gaul, or France, where it overlaid or was engrafted on languages of
the Celtic stock.

3. To Dacia and Pannonia where it overlaid or was engrafted on a language
the stock whereof is undetermined, but which was, probably, Sarmatian. The
introduction of the Latin into Dacia and Pannonia took place in the time of
Trajan.

s. 66. From these different introductions of the Latin into different
countries we have the following modern languages--1st Italian, 2nd Spanish
and Portuguese, 3rd French, 4th Wallachi