A Companion to the Latin Language presents a collection of original essays from international scholars that track the development and use of the Latin language from its origins to its modern day usage. * Brings together contributions from internationally renowned classicists, linguists and Latin language specialists * Offers, in a single volume, a detailed account of different literary registers of the Latin language * Explores the social and political contexts of Latin * Includes new accounts of the Latin language in light of modern linguistic theory * Supplemented with illustrations covering the development of the Latin alphabet