Italian is one of the romance languages, which are derived from Latin, the language of the Romans. It is spoken by almost all of the population, although in many parts of Italy the people take pride in preserving their distinct regional dialects. Ethnic minorities account for less than 2 percent of the total population. Written materials in Italian date from the 10th century (a set of court records with the testimony of the witnesses in the Italian vernacular), and the first literary work of length is the Ritmo Laurenziano ("Laurentian Rhythm") of the late 12th century. Culture, food and history all form part of the Italian way of life.