What Does vernacular Mean
In order to understand the meaning of the vernacular term, it is first necessary to proceed to determine its etymological origin. In this sense, we would have to say that it emanates from Latin, from "vernaculus", which was used to refer to everything related to a country.
However, we cannot ignore either that this Latin word, in turn, comes from “vernus”, which can be translated as “indigenous”, and this from “verna”, which was the word used to refer to the slave domestic that had come to be born even in the own house.
This adjective refers to something native or domestic , especially if it is a language or a language . For example: "Scientists want to expand their knowledge of vernacular flowers" , "I apologize, but I do not understand the vernacular" , "I have not yet mastered all vernacular terms" .
Typically, the notion of vernacular is used when, in a certain context, a language is used that is different from the mother tongue of the speakers . For a long time, Latin replaced vernacular languages in the realm of religion . Therefore, religious texts continued to be written and disseminated in Latin even in regions where other languages were spoken. Masses were also held in Latin, to the detriment of vernacular languages.
The language adopted to facilitate common understanding between people who do not share the same vernacular language is known as the vehicular language , lingua franca or lingua franca . The vehicular language may vary according to the time or the environment.
Just as Latin was the vehicular language after the dissolution of the Roman Empire , over the years it was replaced by French and German depending on the area in question. Today it can be said that the lingua franca is English , since it is usually the language of choice for those who do not have the same vernacular. Thus it is possible for a Peruvian to travel to China and communicate in English, for example.
On the other hand, we cannot ignore what is known as vernacular architecture either. This is the one that comes to identify a specific region, the one that is the most traditional and significant of the place and has the particularity that it originates when the natives of a land find it necessary to build in order to survive.
Among the many characteristics that define this type of architecture, we could point out the following:
• It is carried out through the use of materials and raw materials found in the area where it is undertaken.
• The constructions of this type do not have so much an ornamental purpose as a clear objective of comfort. And it is that what is pursued is that those allow citizens to have a home with the best possible conditions in terms of lighting, air conditioning, humidity, space ...
• It should be noted that the vernacular architecture of a place is different from that of other.