Final answer:
Evidence suggests the Roma people came from northern India, supported by genetic studies. Their language is based on Indian languages, with influences from European languages. The Romans were descended from the Italic tribes and transmitted Latin, which evolved into the Romance languages.
Step-by-step explanation:
Evidence suggests that the Roma people, also known as Romani or "Gypsies," originated from northern India. This claim is supported by immunogenetic studies, showing a clear genetic link between the Roma and the people of northern India, despite having lived in separate regions for approximately a thousand years. Their language, Romani, includes lexical items and structural features from Indian languages, reflecting their origin. However, throughout their history, the Roma have adopted words and grammar from the languages of the countries they migrated through.
Regarding the formation of Rome, archaeological and historical evidence indicates that the Romans were descended from the Italic tribes, including the Latins from central Italy and the Sabines. Rome's early culture and language were heavily influenced by Greek and Etruscan interaction. For instance, the Etruscan language, which influenced Latin, had a script derived from early Greek, though Etruscan itself is unrelated to other Indo-European languages and remains largely undeciphered.
As Rome expanded, it transmitted Latin, from which the Romance languages descended. These languages, including French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, and several others, are found mainly in Southern Europe and are directly derived from the Latin spoken by the Romans.