Social Variation and the Latin Language

A major history of many of the developments undergone by the Latin language as it changed into Romance languages.

J. N. Adams (Author)

9780521886147, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 23 May 2013

956 pages, 3 b/w illus.
26 x 16 x 5.5 cm, 1.49 kg

'… 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 Studies

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.

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.

Subject Areas: Classical history / classical civilisation [HBLA1], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA], Literary studies: classical, early & medieval [DSBB], Historical & comparative linguistics [CFF], Linguistics [CF], Language: history & general works [CBX], Language [C]