Latin vs. Russian: the Languages of Rhetoric Classes in 18th Century Russian Seminaries

Abstract

The article focuses on the use of Russian and Latin in rhetoric classes in Russian seminaries of the 18th century, based on published and archival documents. Over the course of the century, the status of the Russian language changed significantly, which may be attributed to a number of factors: the development of belletristic literature, an increase in book publishing, the encouragement of preaching, etc. However, despite the fact that rhetorical textbooks began to be published in Russian, Latin remained the language of rhetorical theory in seminaries. These processes are illustrated both by surviving collections of extracts and exemplary texts, and catalogs of seminar libraries.