Vulgar Latin

by József Herman, Roger Wright (Translator)

Overview

"Vulgar Latin" refers to those features of Latin language that were not recommended by the classical grammarians but existed nonetheless. Although "Vulgar Latin" is not well documented, evidence can be deduced from details of the spelling, grammar, and vocabulary that occur in texts of the later Roman Empire, late antiquity, and the early Middle Ages. Every aspect of "Vulgar Latin" is exemplified in this book, proving that the language is not separate in itself, but an integral part of Latin.

Originally published in French in 1967, Vulgar Latin was translated more recently into Spanish in an expanded and revised version. The English translation by Roger Wright accurately portrays "Vulgar Latin" as a complicated field of study, where little is known with absolute certainty, but a great deal can be worked out with considerable probability through careful critical analysis of the data. This text is an invaluable aid to research and understanding for all those interested in Latin, Romance languages, historical linguistics, early medieval texts, and early medieval history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780271020013
Publisher:	Penn State University Press
Publication date:	06/15/2000
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.47(d)

About the Author

Jozef Herman is former Director of the Linguistic Research Institute at the Hungarian Academy, now Professor at the University of Venice.

Roger Wright is Professor of Spanish at the University of Liverpool. He is editor of Latin and the Romance Languages in the Early Middle Ages (paperback issued by Penn State, 1996). His other books include Late Latin and Early Romance in Spain and Carolingian France (1982) and Spanish Ballads: A Critical Guide (1991).

Table of Contents

	Prologue	vii
	Foreword	ix
	A Note on the Symbols Used	xi
	Chronology of the Authors and Texts Mentioned	xiii
1	"Vulgar" Latin: Terminology and Problems	1
2	The Historical Context	9
3	Sources and Methods	17
4	Phonetic Evolution	27
1.	Vowels	27
2.	Consonants	38
a)	Word-Final Consonants	39
b)	Palatalization	42
c)	Intervocalic Consonants	45
d)	Consonant Clusters	47
5	Inflectional Morphology	49
1.	Nominal Morphology	49
2.	Verbal Morphology	68
6	Phrases and Sentences	81
1.	Noun Phrases	81
2.	The Simple Sentence	85
3.	Compound Sentences	87
7	Vocabulary	95
1.	Invariant Words	95
2.	Inflected Words	97
a)	Lexical Substitutions	97
b)	Semantic Changes	102
c)	Affixation and Compounding	104
d)	Foreign Words	105
8	More General Problems	109
1.	The End of the History of Latin	109
2.	The Geographical Diversification of Latin	115
3.	The Main Lines of Vulgar Development	120
	Selective Bibliography	125

What People are Saying About This

Robert Blake

No other book presents the complexities involved in the developments from Latin to Romance in such a compact synthesis. Vulgar Latin should be one of the standard references for scholars and students interested in the historical development of the Romance languages.
—(Robert Blake, University of California, Davis)

Paul Lloyd

Undoubtedly the most intelligent and clearly and cogently presented analysis of the whole topic of popular Latin's development that I have ever read. This book has no equal that I know of.
—(Paul Lloyd, University of Pennsylvania)

Editorial Reviews

Undoubtedly the most intelligent and clearly and cogently presented analysis of the whole topic of popular Latin’s development that I have ever read. This book has no equal that I know of.”

—Paul Lloyd, University of Pennsylvania

“No other book presents the complexities involved in the developments from Latin to Romance in such a compact synthesis. Vulgar Latin should be one of the standard references for scholars and students interested in the historical development of the Romance languages.”

—Robert Blake, University of California, Davis

“This is a marvelous and definitive book, having been written by one who is an acknowledged master in his field, and translated by a man who is now his equal. Thus two first-class minds come together and their mastery of the subject is conveyed (as true mastery often is) with easy, charming and limpid simplicity. The result is an essential book for specialists, which will also be attractive (mirabile dictu!) to all amateurs of language. . . . This little book is highly recommended as an essential contribution to our knowledge of the development of Latin and the emergence of romance languages.”

—David Daintree Parergon

“This is an exceedingly useful basic introduction to the subject, and its appearance will be very welcome to anyone who teaches undergraduate or graduate course involving Vulgar Latin.”

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From the Publisher