A vernacular or vernacular language is the native language or native dialect (usually colloquial or informal) of a specific population, especially as distinguished from a literary, national or standard variety of the language, or a lingua franca (also called a vehicular language) used in the region or state inhabited by that population. Some linguists use "vernacular" and "nonstandard dialect" as synonyms. 

The use of "vernacular" is not recent. In 1688, James Howell wrote: 

Concerning Italy, doubtless there were divers before the Latin did spread all over that Country; the Calabrian, and Apulian spoke Greek, whereof some Relicks are to be found to this day; but it was an adventitious, no Mother-Language to them: 'tis confess'd that Latium it self, and all the Territories about Rome, had the Latin for its maternal and common first vernacular Tongue; but Tuscany and Liguria had others quite discrepant, viz. the Hetruscane and Mesapian, whereof though there be some Records yet extant; yet there are none alive that can understand them: The Oscan, the Sabin and Tusculan, are thought to be but Dialects to these. 

Here vernacular, mother language and dialect are already in use in a modern sense. According to Merriam-Webster, "vernacular" was brought into the English language as early as 1601 from the Latin "vernaculus" ("native") which had been in figurative use in Classical Latin as "national" and "domestic", having originally been derived from "vernus" and "verna", a male or female slave respectively born in the house rather than abroad. The figurative meaning was broadened from the diminutive extended words "vernaculus, vernacula". Varro, the classical Latin grammarian, used the term "vocabula vernacula", "termes de la langue nationale" or "vocabulary of the national language" as opposed to foreign words.

Answer the following questions:
1. Is the use of vernacular recent?
2. What is a vernacular?
3. What are some synonyms?
4. Who spoke greek?
5. Anyone else?
6. When was the word introduced into the english language?
7. According to who?
8. From what latin word?
9. Which means?
10. How was it used in classical latin?
11. As what?
12. Anything else?
13. Derived from what originally?
14. Meaning?
15. How was the figurative meaning expanded?
16. Who was Varro?
17. What terms did he use?
18. Anything else?
19. And the last one?
20. As opposed to?

Numbered answers:
1. No
2. The native language or native dialect of a specific population
3. vernacular" and "nonstandard dialect"
4. the Calabrian
5. The Apulian
6. as early as 1601
7. Merriam-Webster
8. Vernaculus
9. Native
10. Figuratively
11. National
12. Domestic
13. Vernus and Verna
14. A male or female slave respectively born in the house rather than abroad.
15. From the diminutive extended words "vernaculus, vernacula".
16. A classical Latin grammarian
17. vocabula vernacula
18. termes de la langue nationale
19. vocabulary of the national language
20. foreign words.