Language and Nature in the Classical Roman World

Presents the first collection of essays dedicated to Roman linguistic naturalism, a major but under-studied area of Roman linguistic thought.

Giuseppe Pezzini (Edited by), Barnaby Taylor (Edited by)

9781108480666, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 20 June 2019

252 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 1.7 cm, 0.5 kg

A familiar theme in Greek philosophy, largely due to the influence of Plato's Cratylus, linguistic naturalism (the notion that linguistic facts, structures or behaviour are in some significant sense determined by nature) constitutes a major but under-studied area of Roman linguistic thought. Indeed, it holds significance not only for the history of linguistics but also for philosophy, stylistics, rhetoric and more. The chapters in this volume deal with a range of naturalist theories in a variety of authors including Cicero, Varro, Nigidius Figulus, Posidonius, and Dionysius of Halicarnassus. The result is a complex and multi-faceted picture of how language and nature were believed to interrelate in the classical Roman world.

Introduction: first thoughts on language and nature Giuseppe Pezzini and Barnaby Taylor
1. Posidonius' linguistic naturalism and its philosophical pedigree Alexander Verlinsky
2. Lucilius on Latin spelling, grammar and usage Anna Chahoud
3. Nigidius Figulus' naturalism: between grammar and philosophy Alessandro Garcea
4. Naturalism in morphology: Varro on derivation and inflection Wolfgang D. C. De Melo
5. What's Hecuba to him? Varro on the natural kinship of things and of words David Blank
6. Linguistic naturalism in Cicero's Academica Tobias Reinhardt
7. Linguistic naturalism and natural style: from Varro and Cicero to Dionysius of Halicarnassus Casper C. de Jonge
8. Natural law and natural language in the first century BCE James Zetzel.

Subject Areas: Philosophy: metaphysics & ontology [HPJ], Literary studies: classical, early & medieval [DSBB], Philosophy of language [CFA], Linguistics [CF]