Calling Latin a dead language is a matter of semantics (语义学).There are those who would suggest Latin is not dead, and that it lives on in everyday language used by billions of people worldwide. Others argue that because there're routine updates on Latin published by the Roman Catholic Church, it is still alive and developing.

    However, Latin is no longer used, on a daily basis, by the vast majority of people outside of specific religious settings, where tradition influences its use. It is no longer anyone's native language. While its use is still taught, Latin is no longer considered to be a developing language to the degree of most modern languages.

    The reasons for Latin dying out are numerous. Perhaps the most significant one has to do with the decline of the Roman Empire. During the Roman period, language was standardized to a greater degree. Because Rome was the most powerful political country in the Western world at the time, most of those who had any ambition to succeed had a desire to learn Latin. As a result, the language spread rapidly. However that rapid expansion would eventually begin to plateau (处于停滞状态)and finally decline.

    Latin continued to be used during the medieval period. Throughout Europe, it remained the language of choice. However, with nothing to unite the continent, there was no need for a uniform language. So slowly, over a period of hundreds of years, Latin began to change as different regions developed their own dialects (方言),known as the Romance languages today, among which the most commonly spoken and recognizable are Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and French.

    Though not directly related to the Romance languages, Latin still has had an effect on many other languages. English, for example, which is not one of the Romance languages but a Germanic one, can trace nearly two-thirds of its words back to Latin roots.