Abstract
In Classical Latin ipse was an intensive pronoun used to add emphasis to a noun or pronoun. In many cases it may be translated into English by ‘self’. In the modern Romance languages, on the other hand, reflexes of ipse do not have this function. Rather, ipse has developed into a demonstrative pronoun/adjective, a definite article and a third person personal pronoun. Jerome’s Vulgate translation of the New Testament represents an intermediate stage between Classical Latin and modern Romance as far as ipse is concerned. Here, Classical Latin usages of ipse appear alongside new, Romance usages. The present paper is an investigation of how ipse is used in the Vulgate.
Highlights
As mentioned in the introduction, in Classical Latin ipse is an intensifier, and it has a contrastive value
Definite articles and personal pronouns derived from ipse are found in Sardinian, Southern Italian and dialects of Catalan, Gascon and Provençal
Personal pronouns derived from ipse are not completely absent in other Romance varieties either, cf. e.g. Italian esso
Summary
As mentioned in the introduction, in Classical Latin ipse is an intensifier, and it has a contrastive value. In nearly half of the examples in which ipse functions as an adjunct dependent on a pronoun in the Vulgate, the originally intensifying particle met is present, as in (5).
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