A Natural History of Latin

by Janson, Tore; Damsgaard Sørensen, Merethe; Vincent, Nigel

• ISBN13: 9780199263097
• ISBN10: 0199263094
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-01-06
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

No known language, including English, has achieved the success and longevity of Latin. French, Spanish, Italian, and Romanian are among its direct descendants, and countless Latin words and phrases comprise the cornerstone of English itself. A Natural History or Latin tells its history from its origins over 2500 years ago to the present. Brilliantly conceived, popularizing but authoritative, and written with the fluency and light touch that have made Tore Janson's Speak so attractive to tens of thousands of readers, it is a masterpiece of adroit synthesis. The book commences with a description of the origins, emergence, and dominance of Latin over the Classical period. Then follows an account of its survival through the Middle Ages into modern times, with emphasis on its evolution throughout the history, culture, and religious practices of Medieval Europe. By judicious quotation of Latin words, phrases, and texts the author illustrates how the written and spoken language changed, region by region over time; how it met resistance from native languages; and how therefore some entire languages disappeared. Janson offers a vivid demonstration of the value of Latin as a means of access to a vibrant past and a persuasive argument for its continued worth. A concise and easy-to-understand introduction to Latin grammar and a list of the most frequent Latin words, including 500 idioms and phrases still in common use, complement the work.

Author Biography

Tore Janson was Professor of African Languages the University of Goteborg until his retirement in 2001. He was previously Professor of Latin at the same university and is a world expert on the history of languages.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Latin and the Romans
Lingua latina: a first acquaintance	p. 3
The earliest period of Rome	p. 6
How Latin became Latin	p. 9
From small town to great power	p. 12
How bad were the Romans?	p. 14
A voice from early Rome	p. 17
The meeting with Greece	p. 19
Theatre for the people	p. 21
The age of revolutions	p. 23
Writing, reading, listening, and speaking	p. 26
Speeches, politics, and trials	p. 29
Cicero and rhetoric	p. 31
The language of history	p. 34
Imperium romanum: Augustus and the Roman empire	p. 37
Name and family	p. 39
Years and months	p. 42
Latin becomes the language of Europe	p. 44
Poetry and poets	p. 47
Philosophy: Lucretius, Cicero, Seneca	p. 57
The schools and Quintilian	p. 61
The sciences	p. 63
Everyday language	p. 65
Laws and legal language	p. 70
Tacitus, the emperors, and Britain	p. 73
Christianity: from dangerous sect to state religion	p. 76
Latin and Europe
Europe after Rome	p. 85
From Latin to the Romance languages	p. 87
Missionaries, Latin, and foreign languages	p. 93
Latin in Britain	p. 96
Latin in schools	p. 100
Speaking and spelling	p. 107
Books and scribes	p. 115
Saints and heretics	p. 122
The guardians of the heritage	p. 127
Poetry after antiquity	p. 131
Abelard and Heloise	p. 137
The thinkers	p. 141
The Renaissance	p. 145
Doctors and their language	p. 148
Linnaeus and Latin	p. 152
Physicists, chemists, and others	p. 156
Alchemy, witchcraft, and Harry Potter	p. 160
Loanwords and neologisms	p. 164
Latin and German	p. 168
Latin and French	p. 170
Latin and English	p. 172
Latin and us	p. 174
About the Grammar
Introduction	p. 179
Pronunciation and stress	p. 179
Sentences, verbs, and nouns	p. 182
Words and word classes	p. 183
Nouns	p. 184
Adjectives	p. 191
Pronouns	p. 194
The forms of the verb	p. 179
Amandi and Amanda	p. 209
How words are formed	p. 211
Basic Vocabulary	p. 217
Common Phrases and Expressions	p. 271
Suggested reading	p. 297
Index	p. 301
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