Language and Linguistic Contact in Ancient Sicily

A comprehensive and up-to-date account of the languages of ancient Sicily by an international team of experts.

Olga Tribulato (Edited by)

9781107029316, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 29 November 2012

448 pages, 18 b/w illus. 3 maps 3 tables
22.2 x 15 x 2.5 cm, 0.73 kg

Within the field of ancient bilingualism, Sicily represents a unique terrain for analysis as a result of its incredibly rich linguistic history, in which 'colonial' languages belonging to branches as diverse as Italic (Oscan and Latin), Greek and Semitic (Phoenician) interacted with the languages of the natives (the elusive Sicel, Sicanian and Elymian). The result of this ancient melting-pot was a culture characterised by 'postcolonial' features such as ethnic hybridity, multilingualism and artistic and literary experimentation. While Greek soon emerged as the leading language, dominating official communication and literature, epigraphic sources and indirect evidence show that the minority languages held their ground down to the fifth century BCE, and in some cases beyond. The first two parts of the volume discuss these languages and their interaction with Greek, while the third part focuses on the sociolinguistic revolution brought about by the arrival of the Romans.

Introduction. 'So many Sicilies': introducing language and linguistic contact in ancient Sicily Olga Tribulato
Part I. Non-Classical Languages: 1. Language relations in Sicily: evidence for the speech of the ???????, the ??????? and others Paolo Poccetti
2. The Elymian language Simona Marchesini
3. Phoenician and Punic in Sicily Maria Giulia Amadasi Guzzo
4. Oscan in Sicily James Clackson
5. Traces of language contact in Sicilian onomastics: the evidence from the Great Curse of Selinous Gerhard Meiser
6. Coins and language in ancient Sicily Oliver Simkin
Part II. Greek: 7. Sicilian Greek before the fourth century BC: a basic grammar Susana Mimbrera
8. The Sicilian Doric koine Susana Olarte
9. Intimations of koine in Sicilian Doric: the information provided by the Antiatticist Albio Cesare Cassio
10. 'We speak Peloponnesian': tradition and linguistic identity in postclassical Sicilian literature Andreas Willi
Part III. Latin: 11. Siculi bilingues? Latin in the inscriptions of early Roman Sicily Olga Tribulato
12. Sicily in the Roman imperial period: language and society Kalle Korhonen.

Subject Areas: Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA], Literary studies: classical, early & medieval [DSBB], Historical & comparative linguistics [CFF], Language: history & general works [CBX]