Latin Word Order Structured Meaning and Information

by Devine, A. M.; Stephens, Laurence D.

• ISBN13: 9780195181685
• ISBN10: 0195181689
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-02-23
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Word order is not a subject anyone reading Latin can afford to ignore: apart from anything else, word order is what gets one from disjoint sentences to coherent text. Reading a paragraph of Latin without attention to the word order entails losing access to a whole dimension of meaning, or at best using inferential procedures to guess at what is actually overtly encoded in the syntax. This book begins by introducing the reader to the linguistic concepts, formalism and analytical techniques necessary for the study of Latin word order. It then proceeds to present and analyze a representative selection of data in sufficient detail for the reader to develop both an intuitive grasp of the often rather subtle principles controlling Latin word order and a theoretically grounded understanding of the system that underlies it. Combining the rich empirical documentation of traditional philological approaches with the deeper theoretical insight of modern linguistics, this work aims to reduce the intricate surface patterns of Latin word order to a simple and general crosscategorial system of syntactic structure which translates more or less directly into constituents of pragmatic and semantic meaning.

Author Biography

A. M. Devine is Professor of Classics at Stanford University. Laurence D. Stephens is Adjunct Professor of Classics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Table of Contents

ABBREVIATIONS	xi
Introduction	3	(33)
Semantics and pragmatics	3	(2)
Studying word order	5	(4)
Thematic Roles	9	(4)
Pragmatic values	13	(4)
Notation for semantic and pragmatic meaning	17	(8)
Syntactic structure	25	(4)
Prosodic structure	29	(1)
Postscript	30	(6)
1 Arguments of Verbs	36	(109)
1.1 SUBJECTS	37	(3)
1.2 DITRANSITIVES	40	(15)
Dare	40	(5)
Other verbs of giving	45	(3)
Donare	48	(1)
Adimere	49	(2)
Extorquere and eripere	51	(1)
Prepositional prefix verbs	52	(3)
1.3 OBLIQUE ARGUMENTS: LOCATIVES AND INSTRUMENTS	55	(9)
Conlocare	55	(1)
Liberare	56	(1)
Instrumental arguments	57	(1)
Goal phrases	58	(5)
Source phrases	63	(1)
1.4 ADJUNCTS	64	(15)
Instrumentals	64	(3)
Causa	67	(2)
Time and place adverbials	69	(2)
Manner and means phrases	71	(4)
Comitatives	75	(2)
Ablative absolutes	77	(2)
1.5 STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS	79	(19)
Neutral order	79	(3)
Flat syntax	82	(2)
Complement Syntax	84	(3)
Specifier syntax	87	(10)
Postscript	97	(1)
1.6 SCRAMBLING	98	(21)
Adverbs of manner	101	(7)
Structural analysis	108	(4)
Obliques in Cato	112	(7)
1.7 POSTVERBAL CONSTITUENTS	119	(26)
Postverbal constituents in Caesar	119	(6)
V-bar syntax	125	(20)
2 Verb Positions	145	(80)
2.1 VERB INITIAL	145	(27)
Polarity focus	145	(4)
Imperatives	149	(1)
Existential and presentational sentences	150	(4)
Passives	154	(1)
Psych verbs	154	(3)
Discourse cohesion operators	157	(6)
Conjoined structures	163	(3)
Structural analysis	166	(6)
2.2 VERB SECOND	172	(7)
Negative quantifiers	172	(4)
Weak focus	176	(3)
Structural analysis	179	(1)
2.3 THE AUXILIARY	179	(19)
Eventive sentences	180	(1)
Raising to focus	181	(2)
Negation	183	(1)
Subordinate clauses	184	(3)
Individual verbs	187	(4)
Structural analysis	191	(7)
2.4 THE COPULA	198	(10)
Relative subjects	198	(1)
Lexical subjects	199	(3)
Negation	202	(1)
Raising to CP	202	(2)
Structural Analysis	204	(4)
2.5 EXISTENTIAL ESSE	208	(8)
Structural analysis	213	(3)
2.6 SALLUST AND CATO	216	(9)
Sallust	216	(2)
Cato	218	(7)
3 Strong and Weak Arguments	225	(89)
3.1 TOPIC AND FOCUS	225	(24)
Strong narrow focus	225	(10)
Yes-No questions	235	(2)
Nonne questions	237	(3)
Alternative questions	240	(2)
Chiasmus with arguments and adjuncts	242	(4)
Chiasmus with a verb	246	(3)
3.2 ASSOCIATION WITH FOCUS	249	(28)
Semper, saepe	250	(8)
Numquam	258	(4)
Non solum, non modo	262	(3)
Quoque	265	(1)
Ne quidem	266	(6)
Split proper names	272	(3)
Structural analysis	275	(2)
3.3 WEAK PRONOUNS	277	(37)
Strong and weak pronouns	277	(5)
Weak pronoun positions	282	(5)
Weak pronouns after Comp	287	(5)
Domain external structures	292	(2)
Raising to focus	294	(4)
Structural Analysis	298	(5)
Weak pronouns and modified noun phrases	303	(11)
4 Arguments of Nominals	314	(89)
4.1 NOUN PHRASES	315	(62)
Subjective and objective genitives	316	(1)
Psych nouns	317	(14)
The left node rule: Erga complements	331	(6)
Nomina actionis	337	(6)
Nomina agentis	343	(9)
Relational nouns	352	(9)
Possessives	361	(7)
Partitives	368	(8)
Narrow strong focus in noun phrases	376	(1)
4.2 STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS	377	(14)
Structures for genitives	378	(2)
Theories for Latin	380	(1)
Posthead genitives	381	(2)
Prehead genitives	383	(1)
The functional theory	384	(1)
Crosscategoriality	385	(1)
Focus semantics in NPs	386	(1)
Informational individuation	387	(2)
The prosodic theory	389	(2)
4.3 ADJECTIVE PHRASES	391	(12)
Immemor	391	(2)
Expers	393	(3)
Cupidus	396	(2)
Structural analysis	398	(5)
5 Modifiers	403	(121)
5.1 INTERSECTIVES	405	(21)
Adjectives of material	405	(8)
Adjectives in -arius	413	(4)
Adjectives of season	417	(2)
Inherent properties	419	(7)
5.2 ADJECTIVES FROM PROPER NAMES	426	(20)
Geographical locations	426	(4)
Names of subkinds	430	(1)
Personal name adjectives in Caesar	430	(2)
Personal name adjectives in Cicero	432	(7)
Bellum with proper name adjective	439	(3)
Appendix: Bellum civile	442	(4)
5.3 AGE AND EVALUATION	446	(21)
Fetus	446	(3)
Novus	449	(3)
Superior	452	(4)
Gravis	456	(1)
Mirificus, pestifer	457	(3)
Nefarius	460	(4)
Perditus homo	464	(1)
Modified homo	465	(2)
5.4 MEASURE; STACKED ADJECTIVES	467	(14)
Parv(ul)us	467	(4)
Magnus	471	(3)
Maximus	474	(2)
Stacked adjectives	476	(5)
5.5 STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS	481	(11)
Theories for Latin	483	(8)
Postscript	491	(1)
5.6 QUANTIFIERS, DEMONSTRATIVES	492	(32)
Cardinals	492	(6)
Many, much	498	(9)
Universal quantifier	507	(4)
Demonstrative adjectives	511	(13)
6 Hyperbaton	524	(87)
6.1 GENITIVE HYPERBATON	525	(6)
6.2 POSTMODIFIER HYPERBATON	531	(9)
6.3 PREMODIFIER HYPERBATON	540	(23)
Premodifier hyperbaton	540	(2)
Pragmatics of premodifier hyperbaton	542	(6)
Syntax of premodifier hyperbaton	548	(11)
Premodifier hyperbaton in subordinate clauses	559	(4)
6.4 HYPERBATON WITH NONVERBAL HEADS	563	(15)
Hyperbaton with nominal heads	563	(5)
Hyperbaton with prepositional heads	568	(7)
Attribute complement hyperbaton	575	(3)
6.5 MINOR HYPERBATA	578	(13)
Degree Phrase hyperbaton	578	(5)
Clitic hyperbaton	583	(1)
Interrogative hyperbaton	584	(2)
Conjunct hyperbaton	586	(5)
6.6 STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS	591	(20)
Variation across styles	602	(2)
V-bar syntax and hyperbaton	604	(7)
Bibliography	611	(20)
Index nominum	631	(5)
Index rerum	636