Latin Syntax Research Articles

Form Copy and Markovian Gaps in Latin Syntax: The Control Case

Form Copy and Markovian Gaps in Latin Syntax: The Control Case

The Art of Communicative Grammar

Abstract This review article of the Oxford Latin Syntax (Vols. I-II, 2015 and 2021) demonstrates how the communicative approach of Harm Pinkster’s monumental grammar complements recent revivals of oral, aural, and active Latin pedagogical methods. I conclude with examples of how Pinkster’s analysis of discourse may be applied to select passages (from Plautus’ Rudens, as a productive means of explicating dramaturgical and narratological matters there) in order to illustrate the OLS’s manifold potential for exploring discursive strategies of Latin texts generally.

«ПИР СЛОВЕСНОСТИ». НИКОЛАЙ АЛЕКСЕЕВИЧ ФЕДОРОВ: КАК ОБУЧИТЬ ИСКУССТВУ ПЕРЕВОДА В ПРОЦЕССЕ ПРЕПОДАВАНИЯ ЛАТИНСКОГО ЯЗЫКА

The article discusses the principles of translation from Latin, developed by Nikolaу A. Fedorov (1925–2016), the legendary teacher of Moscow University, while teaching Latin. He played a significant role in the formation of many generations of classical philologists. His teaching career at Moscow State University lasted 70 years. The article also examines the role and place of Fedorov's translations in the history of Russian translation culture. We explore the origins of the Moscow school of translation of classical philologists, the development of this school and its continuity in the work of Nikolay A. Fedorov. No less important is another aspect: the formation of the principles of translation in inseparable connection with the methodology of teaching Latin. The article describes the method of presentation of Latin grammar in the "classic textbook of Moscow State University", created in collaboration with Valentina I. Miroshenkova. In Russia, the textbook has been in demand for almost half a century and has survived 27 editions. In the pedagogical practice of Nikolai A. Fedorov, teaching Latin grammar and teaching translation are inextricably linked. Early acquaintance of students with complex Latin syntax is of great importance here. Fedorov has raised a whole galaxy of professional translators. The opinions of Nikolay A. Fedorov's students, who have become prominent philologists, about his teaching the art of translation in Latin classes are given. And we also give fragments of texts by Mark Tullius Cicero, Ambrose of Mediolansky and Jan Amos Komensky translated by N. Fedorov, which demonstrate the range of the translator (from the 1st century BC to the 17th century), the quality and skill of translation. The translator preserves with maximum accuracy all the structural features of the author's text. And at the same time, Fedorov, finding the necessary lexical equivalents, brings historical texts closer to the modern reader, making all the nuances of meanings clear to the reader.

Accusativus cum Infinitivo y otras construcciones de infinitivo latinizante: caracterización sintáctica y uso en la literatura erasmiana doctrinal del siglo XVI

Abstract This article addresses the most important syntactic issues related to the imitative constructions of Latin Accusativus cum Infinitivo in Renaissance Spanish. I opt to subsume this label coming from Latin syntax under the more encompassing denomination of Latinising Infinitive, which refers to the use of infinitive constructions directly or indirectly inspired by syntactic schemes typical of classical, medieval or Renaissance Latin literature. Finally, some cases of Latinising Infinitive in a corpus of doctrinal prose written by 16th-century Erasmist authors are considered. The analysis aims to account for the difficulties of delimitation of the Latinising Infinitive in translated and non-translated texts, as well as to show that, in the consideration of syntactic Latinism, it is only possible to operate on a gradual conception that explains the existence of Latinisms with a more or less marked variational status within the domain of communicative distance.

Latin Literature

The second volume of Harm Pinkster's Oxford Latin Syntax is a stunning achievement and an admirably thorough account of the Latin ‘complex sentence and discourse’. Far from restricting itself to classical prose, the work covers Latin texts from c. 200 bc to c. ad 450, in both poetry and prose. Overall, I was struck by the good balance that Pinkster maintains between presenting Latin syntax in a systematic and well-structured way and leaving enough room for the portrayal of the Latin language as a dynamic phenomenon, in which the frequency of and predilection for certain linguistic constructions keeps changing and the ‘correctness’ of certain expressions is a matter of time and context. Equally salutary are Pinkster's reminders of the role that intonation must have played in the production and reception of Latin – and of what we lose by no longer having access to it. Throughout, Pinkster gives due consideration to the fact that it is often hard to securely classify a grammatical phenomenon, but that several analyses might be possible. Similarly, where appropriate, the importance of the larger interpretive context of a sentence for understanding and classifying its grammatical phenomena is acknowledged as well – which is a great achievement in a monumental work that quotes a wealth of examples from such a wide range of Latin texts.

The use of active strategies for teaching Latin syntax: a case study of a Brazilian classroom experience

In this paper, by showing a case study of a Latin teaching experience in Brazil, we discuss the relevance and usefulness of incorporating active strategies into the teaching of Latin syntax in a Brazilian university context. We mean here by active strategies any language practise consisting of producing language output, either orally or through writing, as a means of creating texts in this language to respond to classroom tasks. Our point is that through the development of task-based lessons with active strategies we may more easily engage students in their learning process and make more effective the learning of Latin syntax. We present a brief introductory discussion on what we consider to be how Latin is currently taught in Brazil, then we present an active teaching approach experience, and then we provide with some more conceptual arguments to justify such approach to this classical language.

The “Kühner-Stegmann” of 1914 and the “Oxford Latin Syntax” of 2015 and 2021: Comparing Two Examples of a Latin syntax of Different Times and Different Approaches

Comparing the grammars of so-called dead languages is particularly fascinating. The article compares two syntactic accounts from completely different time periods — a traditional and still well-known one from the 19th century and a modern one that has currently been published: the syntactic part of the “Ausführliche Grammatik der Lateinischen Sprache” by Raphael Kühner from 1878 and 1879, and the “Oxford Latin Syntax” by Harm Pinkster from 2015 and 2021. First, the general concepts are introduced: Karl Ferdinand Becker’s theory of the three syntactic relations (2.1), S. H. A. Herling’s theory of the equivalence of sentence parts and subordinate clauses (2.2), as well as the modern functional approaches of the theory of the simple clause (3.1) and the complex sentence (3.2). Six differences between the two Latin syntactic concepts are discussed. Three common aspects are taken into consideration, namely the corpus-based approach, the restriction to a single language, and the purely descriptive method as opposed to a normative or more formal approach. Among the results, it is concluded that both grammatical systems of the Latin syntax are legitimate and both should be used to address questions concerning Latin syntax.

Translations of Cicero in Lomonosov’s A Brief Guide to Eloquence

This article examines Mikhail V. Lomonosov’s translation techniques and idiolect in his A Brief Guide to Eloquence (1748), with most of the examples being translated fragments of European literature. A comparison of the translated fragments from Cicero (the author analyses 82 excerpts from the antique orator’s works) with Lomonosov’s own Latin texts makes it possible to see some features of Lomonosov’s translation techniques. Except for the translated fragments included in the textbook on rhetoric, some of Cicero’s works were entirely translated into Russian in the eighteenth century. The author also compares Lomonosov’s translated fragments from Cicero (Cic. Leg. Man., Cat., Arch., Har. resp., etc.) with translations by K. Kondratovich, which were released twenty years after those by Lomonosov. The aim of the research is to show the peculiarities of Lomonosov’s translations, resulting both from the specifics of his translation techniques and the task of these texts as examples of Russian eloquence. The comparative method allows the author to conclude that Lomonosov managed to adequately convey the content and form in his translations and to recreate the style while closely adhering to the original – all this convinced him that the Russian language ‘stands out among all the languages of Europe in its grandeur and richness’. In Lomonosov’s translation techniques, there is a tendency for word-by-word translation and an attempt to preserve the Latin syntax; there is also a noticeable tendency to replace specific ancient culture-specific concepts with modern ones (a principle dating back to humanistic translations into Latin and vulgar languages). The translator’s adherence to the original is of practical importance for historians of literature and allows us to determine when the original text was taken from textbooks on rhetoric.

Ælfric’s linguistic modifications of the Vita Basilii for his two works on the death of Julian the Apostate

ABSTRACT In a homily on the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Ælfric included an account of the death of Julian the Apostate, which was derived from a portion of the Vita Basilii. Later he adapted the same Latin text more comprehensively to complete a hagiography of St Basil, in which the Julian episode appeared again. Ælfric’s first adaptation has been considered to represent a close, sometimes slavish translation of the Vita Basilii, when compared with his second adaptation, which is embellished with the rhythm and alliteration typical of his later style and tends to deviate from the language of the Latin source. Several examples support this view, but a closer examination reveals that many more points exist where Ælfric’s adaptations are similar or exactly coincide in word choice and how he transforms the Latin syntax. Interestingly, many of his linguistic modifications reflect his intention to emphasise Julian’s evil character in contrast to Basil, the pious saint. This paper will conclude that Ælfric modified the lexicon and syntax of the Vita Basilii so that the antithesis between Basil and Julian became much more striking in his two adaptations than in the Vita Basilii.

On the notion of linguistic influence in syntax

AbstractThis paper tackles the topic of Latin influence on Italo-Romance syntax by addressing the question how to combine the analysis of structural data with socio-historical reflections. It views the genre and discourse tradition of a given medieval text as governing the extent to which Latin is used as a model in this text. The paper proposes a methodology which incorporates consideration of the historical, cultural, and sociolinguistic context of language change, focusing on evidence from the development of present participles in Italo-Romance. The main conclusion is that, rather than talking about the general influence of Latin syntax on Italian, we should be examining the influence of particular Latin models on the syntax of different texts written in Italo-Romance varieties in a given historical period.

Language contact and language borrowing?

AbstractThis study investigates the potential influence of Latin syntax on the development of analytic verb forms in a well-defined and concrete instance of language contact, the Old French translation of a Latin Gospel. The data show that the formation of verb forms in the Old French was remarkably independent from the Latin original. While the Old French text closely follows the narrative of the Latin Gospel, its usage of compound verb forms is not dictated by the source text, as reflected e.g. in the quasi-omnipresence of the relative sequencefinite verb+pp, which – with a few exceptions – all trace back to a different structure in the Latin text. Engels (VerenigdeStaten) Another important innovative difference in the Old French is the widespread use ofaveir‘have’ as an auxiliary, unknown in Latin. The article examines in detail the relation between the verbal forms in the two texts, showing that the translation is in line withofgrammar. The usage of compound verb forms in the Old French Gospel is therefore autonomous rather than contact stimulated, let alone contact induced. The results challengeBlatt’s (1957)assumption identifying compound verb forms as a shared feature in European languages that should be ascribed to Latin influence.

Barokna geometrija rečenice u drami Nevinost ili Svetislav i Mileva (1827) Jovana Sterije Popovića

A syntactic organization in the play Nevinost Ili Svetislav i Mileva (1827) (Innocence or Svetislav and Mileva) by Jovan Sterija Popović is far away from the present day holders of the standard Serbian language. Sterija's sentences succumbed to baroqueization, which came to the Serbian language through the Russian language, and from the German and Latin syntax. The paper will analyze the Baroque features of the Sterija's language, which are reflected above all in the following: the finalization of the verb in the predicate and the finalization of the infinitive, the contradictions that divide the multiple sentence constituents, the post-position of the attribute in relation to the noun, the pre-position of genitive, adjectives and other provisions, syntax parallelism and the standard decoration of the Baroque sentence in the form of numerous exclamations, exclamation sentences and vocatives. The goal is to point to the baroque of Jovan Sterija Popović's language by registering appropriate stylistic features. All the required Baroque features are present in the Sterija's language. The research has shown that the characteristics of Sterija's syntax do not differ much from the registered phenomena in studies on the language by Jovan Hadžić and Jovan Subotić. In the novels Dejan and Damjanka (1830) these baroque phenomena are common, which shows that Sterija retains the stylistic and syntactic characteristics of the Baroque epoch independently of the genre. The most prominent Baroque features in the language of Jovan Sterija Popović are those that are dominant amongst other writers of the 19th century.

Hilary of Poitiers on the inter-Trinitarian Relation of the Son and the Holy Spirit

Given the authority accorded to Hilary of Poitiers by ecumenical councils of the 1st millennium, it is of interest to determine his teaching about the disputed question of the eternal relation of the Son and the Holy Spirit. The question is complex, partly because it is one that Hilary in most cases touches upon only indirectly, when arguing for the divinity of the Son, and partly because the meaning of the relevant passages, even on the level of Latin syntax, is often hard to determine, and a matter of disagreement between different translators or editors. Y. Congar and A. E. Siecienski, in their surveys of the discussions of the inter-trinitarian relations of the Son and the Holy Spirit in the patristic age do not examine all these textual difficulties, nor do they discuss the Opus Historicum, which contains a highly relevant passage on this subject. The present article attempts to throw light on the question by examining the key texts and suggesting answers to the problems of translation and interpretation that they present. It concludes that Hilary’s position is substantially identical to that which would later be agreed by the Greek and Latin churches at the council of Florence, and enshrined in the decree Laetentur caeli.

Periphrastic comparison in Latin

Abstract Comparison of adjectives (and adverbs) is a grammatical category that has passed practically unremarked upon by generations of Latin linguists. Latin grammar books (with few exceptions, cf. Kühner and Stegmann, 1955: 565–566The Oxford Latin syntax. Volume I: The simple clause, 47. Oxford: Oxford University Press) omit entirely the question of which adjectives can be compared and which cannot. Nevertheless, the data from modern languages show that the category of comparison of adjectives (and adverbs) is actually highly limited, making it essential to address this question for Latin, too. One of the issues comprehended within the extremely complex area of (non-)gradability of adjectives is periphrastic comparison. Latin grammar books explain, based on the assertions of ancient Latin grammarians, that it applies to adjectives ending in -eus, -ius and -uus, implying, or even explicitly stating, that the reason for this type of comparison is phonetic incompatibility of the word-formative suffix with the comparative suffix. However, two facts call for reinterpretation of the matter: (i) periphrastic comparison also occurs in other adjectives for which there is no phonetic incompatibility; (ii) by contrast, some adjectives in -eus, -ius and -uus actually do have simple forms. In the light of these facts, this paper aims to map the real situation of periphrastic comparison in Latin. The employed corpus comprises all the words marked as adjectives in the Oxford Latin Dictionary (more than 10,000 items) and all their occurrences throughout the database Bibliotheca Teubneriana Latina III.

Ladislav Hrovat in začetki obravnave latinske skladnje v slovenščini

The article presents the contribution of classical philologist Franciscan Ladislav Hrovat to the field of Slovenian and Latin syntax. Hrovat was one of the first Slovenian students of classical philology at the then newly founded Department for Classical Philology at the University of Vienna. Also a student of Slavonic Studies, he was particularly interested in the grammatical problems of Slovenian and Latin, especially in the syntax of both languages. The result of his endeavours was the publication of a number of articles in which he took special interest in various grammatical problems of Latin and Slovenian. His articles about the grammatical problems of Latin, especially Latin syntax, are pioneering contributions to the field of Latin grammar in Slovenia. The pinnacle of Hrovat’s work as a grammarian of Latin was his Latin Grammar for Slovenian Youth (Latinska slovnica za slovensko mladež). Published in 1874, it was the first Latin grammar written in Slovenian.

Latin Syntax in Fifty Years of Generative Grammar

espanolPresentacion del volumen. catalaPresentacio del volum. EnglishPresentation of the volume.

El dialecto oblicuo de don Luis de Góngora y Argote según monseñor Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz

El artículo analiza las apreciaciones de Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz sobre el estilo poético de Luis de Góngora y Argote. Se explica también las razones por las que ese estilo poético del cordobés fue llamado “dialecto diferente” por el matritense: latinismos o cultismos léxicos, transposiciones o hipérbatos, imitación de la sintaxis latina, la mucha erudición y la fina sutileza de sus trabajados conceptos. Además, se relaciona el conceptismo poético con la noción de oblicuidad, empleada por Caramuel para hacer distinciones formales y de representación en diversas disciplinas.

The Oxford Latin Syntax by Harm Pinkster

The Oxford Latin Syntax by Harm Pinkster

Zwischen latín und romance: Syntaktische Variation und Sprachwandel in den Fueros de Coria Cima-Coa (12./13. Jh.)

AbstractThe central object of study of the present research is the syntax of the family of legal texts “Fueros de Coria Cima-Coa” (FCCC), which emerged in the Leonese-Portuguese Extremadura in the 12th and 13th centuries. The aim is to reconstruct phases of language change from written (medieval) Latin to written Romance language with the aid of codices which partly evolved through several stages of modification. The different domains of Latin syntax are replaced at different points in time by their romance cognates. In the chapter texts of the FCCC the predominance of Latin OV word order is retained until the most recent codex, Coria (14th century), while the Romance postposition of the infinitive in auxiliary constructions is already predominant in the earliest Fuero of the FCCC, Ciudad Rodrigo (around 1190-1208). The view propagated by Wright and his “school”, according to which the texts which arose between the 5th and the 11th century in the Iberian Peninsula are “plenamente romances”, is shown to be incorrect on empirical grounds. The different graphematic conventions of the FCCC do not permit systematic conclusions to be drawn about the underlying syntax. The investigation concludes with a new genealogical stemma of the FCCC which overcomes the inevitable contradictions of the proposal of Martínez Díez (1971) which had previously been regarded as consensual opinion.

Then David Wrote a Letter (2 Sam. 11:14) - He Himself or Was It His Secretary? A Study of the Criteria for Handling the ‘Semantic Causative’

One often speaks of important people as if they did everything on their own. ‘Caesar beat the Gauls’, thus reads a verse in a poem by Bertolt Brecht. In the following line he makes the point: ‘Did he not even have a cook with him?’ This way of speaking about kings and lords, rulers and commanders, is a very common literary device used not only in many ancient but also in contemporary languages. In speech it is usually used unconsciously—and even decoded unconsciously. But it is at least noticeable, because sometimes the translators of the Old Testament use a causative in its place. As a result of this usually unnoticed decoding, this characteristic has rarely been explicitly described as a literary phenomenon. The only exception I know of is to be found in Hermann Menge’s book about Latin syntax and stylistics, where it is referred to as a ‘causative active’. Because it is grammatically an ‘active’ voice which is to be semantically decoded functionally as a ‘causative’, I would like to suggest calling this literary device a ‘semantic causative’. Now, if this ‘semantic causative’ is a common form used when speaking about important people, it raises the question: are there criteria which enable us to determine which of the acts are carried out by themselves and which are delegated to others. In my opinion there are indeed certain criteria which can be used to exclude the one or other scenario, but oftentimes a grey area of uncertainty seems to remain. So, did David write this letter himself or was it written by a secretary? In the following I intend to investigate the question of whether a definite answer can be found.