The Romance Languages: A Historical Introduction by Ti Alkire and Carol Rosen (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Romance Languages: A Historical Introduction by Ti Alkire and Carol Rosen Michèle S. de Cruz-Sáenz Alkire, Ti and Carol Rosen. The Romance Languages: A Historical Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. 377 pp. ISBN 978-0-521-71784-7. $43.00. The Romance Languages: A Historical Introduction is a textbook addressing a need resulting from a lack of interest in the fields of Romance Philology and Linguistics. Alkire and Rosen have made some conscious choices to limit their scope of presentation, correctly noting that, “A truly panoramic account of Romance linguistic history would find few readers and probably no writers.” Thus, they have decided to address the five principal national, Romance languages: French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish. Of the twelve chapters in the work, chapters 1-8 survey the historical phonology and morphology of Italian, Spanish and French, while Portuguese is discussed in 9, and Romanian in 10. The final two chapters treat the lexicon and medieval emergence of the Romance languages. Mention only is made of the five lesser spoken Romance languages, Catalan, Occitan, Sardinian, Rheto-Romance and Dalmatian, much to the regret of the authors, understandably. This book offers a cogent, systematic approach to the introduction of the origins and development of the Romance languages. It is clearly presented, very readable, and offers the student a concise description of Romance linguistic theory. The integration of interspersed “practice” and the posing of crucial “questions” throughout the text allow the reader to comprehend the various nuances which distinguish the development of these languages. The bibliographic inclusions are substantial, and the important literary documentation is included and discussed. Unfortunately, the student of Romance languages today comes to his profession [End Page 227] without having studied Latin, and in many cases, sufficient literature in his respective field. There is a great necessity for future teachers and professors to have at least an introduction to the historical development of the language(s) which they are preparing to teach. This book fills a void all too evident in the preparation of the new generation of language professionals. While only an introduction to a corpus of scholarship to which many investigators have dedicated distinguished careers, Romance Languages is a splendid text to fulfill the needs of a semester course, which ought to be a requirement for every student planning a career in teaching and investigating in the Romance Languages. [End Page 228] Michèle S. de Cruz-Sáenz Delaware Community College, Media PA Copyright © 2014 MLA Division on Medieval Hispanic Languages, Literatures & Cultures