Social Variation and the Latin Language
Published on 22. September 2016
Book
Paperback/Softback
956 pages
978-1-316-62949-9 (ISBN)
Description
Languages show variations according to the social class of speakers and Latin was no exception, as readers of Petronius are aware. The Romance languages have traditionally been regarded as developing out of a 'language of the common people' (Vulgar Latin), but studies of modern languages demonstrate that linguistic change does not merely come, in the social sense, 'from below'. There is change from above, as prestige usages work their way down the social scale, and change may also occur across the social classes. This book is a history of many of the developments undergone by the Latin language as it changed into Romance, demonstrating the varying social levels at which change was initiated. About thirty topics are dealt with, many of them more systematically than ever before. Discussions often start in the early Republic with Plautus, and the book is as much about the literary language as about informal varieties.
Reviews / Votes
'Surprisingly accessible ... Adams prizes clarity and precision ... The book emerges as an intellectual cousin of Sir Ronald Syme's classic analysis of the rise of the Emperor Augustus, The Roman Revolution.' Times Literary Supplement 'More than any scholar of the modern era, [Adams] has revealed features of Latin which bring the language to life as a dynamic vehicle of communication among everyday speakers. ... The present study reflects [his] mastery of an extraordinary range of Latin texts. ... [Adams] has given us a rich resource for consultation; he has addressed a range of topics worthy of further research; he frequently provides a potent corrective and supplement to standard Latin grammars and accounts of the rise of Romance languages.' Philip Baldi and Paul B. Harvey, The Classical Review '... Adams' unsurpassed knowledge of the Latin language and his outstanding philological acumen [are] everywhere on display in this book, which contains a wealth of new insights into Latin texts of all periods. There will be a temptation for Latin scholars to buy this book and use it as a work of reference. The organization of the chapters, the level of detail and the excellent indices mean that it could profitably service as such ... Those who read [it] will undoubtedly be richly rewarded.' James Clackson, The Journal of Roman StudiesMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises; 3 Line drawings, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 51 mm
Weight
1353 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-316-62949-9 (9781316629499)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
J. N. Adams is an Emeritus Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford and a Fellow of the British Academy. He was previously a Professor of Latin at the Universities of Manchester and Reading. He is the author of many books on the Latin language, including most recently The Regional Diversification of Latin, 200 BC-AD 600 (Cambridge, 2007) and Bilingualism and the Latin Language (Cambridge, 2003).
Content
Preface; Part I. Introduction: 1. Introduction: 'Vulgar Latin' and social variation; Part II. Phonology and Orthography: 2. Phonology: introductory remarks; 3. Vowel system; 4. Diphthongs; 5. Syncope; 6. Hiatus; 7. The aspirate; 8. Final consonants; 9. Contact assimilation; 10. B/V; 11. Phonology: conclusions; Part III. Case and Prepositions: 12. The nominative and accusative; 13. Oblique cases and prepositional expressions; 14. Miscellaneous uses of the accusative; 15. Locative, directional and separative expressions: some variations and conflations; 16. The reflexive dative; 17. Prepositions and comparative expressions; 18. Case and prepositions: some conclusions; Part IV. Aspects of Nominal, Pronominal and Adverbial Morphology and Syntax: 19. Gender; 20. Demonstrative pronouns: some morphological variations; 21. The definite article and demonstrative pronouns; 22. Suffixation (mainly adjectival) and non-standard Latin; 23. Compound adverbs and prepositions; Part V. Aspects of Verbal Morphology and Syntax: 24. Past participle + habeo; 25. The periphrastic future and conditional, and present for future; 26. Reflexive constructions and the passive; 27. The ablative of the gerund and the present participle; Part VI. Aspects of Subordination: 28. Reported speech; 29. Indirect questions; Part VII. Aspects of the Lexicon and Word Order: 30. The lexicon, a case study: anatomical terms; 31. The lexicon: suppletion and the verb 'go'; 32. Word order, a case study: infinitive position with auxiliary verbs; Part VIII. Summing Up: 33. Final conclusions.