From the Latin word vulgaris meaning "of the mob," the English word vulgar is defined as language that is "lacking in cultivation, perception, or taste." Essentially, vulgar speech is speech that "just anyone" can use, and not the sophisticated, refined language thought to be used by those who have been educated. Interestingly, when Jerome was commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Vetus Latina and create a translation of the Bible from the Greek and Hebrew into the common Latin tongue spoken by most of the Roman empire, it was called the versio vulgata (the "version commonly used"), and today is called the Vulgate for short, as Latin was the language spoken "by the people."
Friday, February 23, 2024