Latin is one of the most important Indo-European languages in European history. Between the dissolution of Proto-Indo-European on the Pontic-Caspian steppe and the first attestation of written... Show moreLatin is one of the most important Indo-European languages in European history. Between the dissolution of Proto-Indo-European on the Pontic-Caspian steppe and the first attestation of written Latin on the Italian Peninsula, the ancestors of Latin-speakers had more than two millennia to migrate across Europe. The Europe that they entered was not empty however. It had been populated by farmers for three thousand years, and by hunter-gatherers for nearly ten thousand years before that. This dissertation investigates the lexemes in Latin that may have been borrowed from the languages that these populations spoke and combines the insights gained with lines of evidence from genetics and archaeology to hypothesize on the route that brought the ancestors of Latin-speakers into Italy. Show less
This chapter focuses on translation in the Low Countries from c. 500 CE to 1550 CE. While the focus is on literary translation from Latin and French into Dutch, there is also attention for... Show moreThis chapter focuses on translation in the Low Countries from c. 500 CE to 1550 CE. While the focus is on literary translation from Latin and French into Dutch, there is also attention for translation into French and Latin, devotional and religious texts, practical 'Artes' literature, and the translation of official documents. Show less
This dissertation reassesses the function of the Greek models mentioned or implied by the Roman playwright Plautus (c.255-184 BC) in some of his comedies. The research presented in this work... Show moreThis dissertation reassesses the function of the Greek models mentioned or implied by the Roman playwright Plautus (c.255-184 BC) in some of his comedies. The research presented in this work questions traditional approaches to Plautus’ plays as extant Latin (un)faithful translations of some lost Greek originals. New light is shed instead on the discursive function of the mentions of or allusions to Greek models in Plautus’ oeuvre. This reassessment shows that the claimed or implied presence of Greek models in Plautine comedy works better as a persuasive means aiming to meet the expectations of an audience concerned with the Greekness of literary genres. Plautus’ fabulae palliatae feature a strong Italic indigenous taste, thus they could sound as extremely innovative, or, as Plautus himself ironically admits, ‘barbarian’, to a philhellenic spectator. Greek literary genres formed an established canonical system whose generic features applied also to Roman literature. Therefore, in order to promote his ‘barbarian’ plays and make them look more Greek, Plautus needed to dress them in a Greek ‘cloak’ (this is what fabula palliata means) by anchoring them in the established Greek tradition. Claiming or implying the presence of Greek models proves to be the strategy chosen by Plautus. Show less
This volume explores the production and use of medieval manuscripts that contain classical Latin texts. Six experts in the field address a range of topics related to these manuscripts, including... Show moreThis volume explores the production and use of medieval manuscripts that contain classical Latin texts. Six experts in the field address a range of topics related to these manuscripts, including how classical texts were disseminated throughout medieval society, how readers used and interacted with specific texts, and what these books look like from a material standpoint. This collection of essays also considers the value of studying classical manuscripts as a distinct group, and demonstrates how such a collective approach can add to our understanding of how classical works functioned in medieval society. Focusing on the period 800-1200, when classical works played a crucial role in the teaching of grammar, rhetoric, and dialectics, this volume investigates how classical Latin texts were copied, used, and circulated in both discrete and shared contexts. Contributions by Robert Gary Babcock, David T. Gura, Erik Kwakkel, Irene O’Daly, Mariken Teeuwen and Rodney Thomson. Show less
Considering that early modern scholars often referred to the Middle Ages as an uncouth period of darkness and ignorance, it is surprising that humanist historians by no means neglected the era. The... Show moreConsidering that early modern scholars often referred to the Middle Ages as an uncouth period of darkness and ignorance, it is surprising that humanist historians by no means neglected the era. The central hypothesis of this book is that the ways in which historians such as Reynier Snoy, Adrianus Barlandus, Petrus Divaeus, and Janus Dousa Sr described the medieval past can be explained by the political context from which their writings originated and in which they were often directly involved. This context was marked by upheavals caused by factors such as the Habsburg centralization policy, the Reformation, and the Dutch Revolt. This book brings forward key characteristics of early modern medievalism, showing how concepts of the medieval were used as rhetorical tools, how medieval forms and ideals were appropriated, and how the classical heritage was involved in the representation of the medieval. This analysis is informed by an approach to historical writing that differs from what is common in the study of sixteenth-century historiography. Historiography is regarded not as a means to uncover the historical truth, but as narrative rhetoric. It deploys narrative techniques and intertextual allusions and plays with genre expectations in order to convey its message. Show less
The dissertation assesses the influence of British Celtic on the phonological development of English during and shortly after the Anglo-Saxon settlement period, ca. AD 450–700. By reconstructing... Show moreThe dissertation assesses the influence of British Celtic on the phonological development of English during and shortly after the Anglo-Saxon settlement period, ca. AD 450–700. By reconstructing and then comparing the phonological systems of both British Celtic and English at the time of contact, an independent assessment of the differences and similarities between the sound systems of the two languages is achieved. On this basis, the segments which were most likely to have been susceptible to change in a situation of language contact and language shift are identified. Evidence for change in English resulting from British Celtic influence is then sought in the medieval textual records. Numerous possible examples of phonological and phonetic change resulting from contact are identified in especially northern English dialects. These findings are interpreted in the context of other on-going research from linguistics and other disciplines. Show less
