Language and Society in the Greek and Roman Worlds

You are what you speak. What does language tell us about ancient societies and individuals?

James Clackson (Author)

9780521140669, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 30 April 2015

218 pages, 9 b/w illus. 3 tables
22.8 x 15.2 x 1.1 cm, 0.37 kg

'… this is a work with a clear aim and a lot of coherence; it will serve its purpose as an excellent introduction to a vast subject.' Staffan Wahlgren, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Texts written in Latin, Greek and other languages provide ancient historians with their primary evidence, but the role of language as a source for understanding the ancient world is often overlooked. Language played a key role in state-formation and the spread of Christianity, the construction of ethnicity, and negotiating positions of social status and group membership. Language could reinforce social norms and shed light on taboos. This book presents an accessible account of ways in which linguistic evidence can illuminate topics such as imperialism, ethnicity, social mobility, religion, gender and sexuality in the ancient world, without assuming the reader has any knowledge of Greek or Latin, or of linguistic jargon. It describes the rise of Greek and Latin at the expense of other languages spoken around the Mediterranean and details the social meanings of different styles, and the attitudes of ancient speakers towards linguistic differences.

1. The linguistic ecology of the Mediterranean
2. States of languages / languages of states
3. Language and identity
4. Language variation
5. Language, gender, sexuality
6. The languages of Christianity
Conclusion: dead languages?
Bibliographic essay.

Subject Areas: Social & cultural history [HBTB], Classical history / classical civilisation [HBLA1], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA], Language: history & general works [CBX]