Latin: A Linguistic Introduction

Description

This textbook provides a detailed introduction to the study of Latin from the perspective of contemporary linguistics. It adopts some basic tenets of generative grammar in an in-depth analysis of the main phonological, morphological, and syntactic properties of Latin, and offers a step-by-step guide to the universal principles and specific parameters which shape the language, along with comparative data from English and other languages. Latin: A Linguistic Introductionis a user-friendly and essential guide to the synchronic study of Latin as a natural language. The clarity of exposition and the richness of the examples cited provide a new approach to Latin as a topic of linguistic research: although the general structure of the book is like that of a traditional Latin grammar, the discussion of grammatical rules is both more straightforward and more theoretically informed. This textbook is principally suitable for students of Latin and Romance linguistics at undergraduate level and above, but also for teachers and researchers interested in new ways of looking at the study of Latin. It differs from many other textbooks in the field by striking a valuable balance between the longstanding tradition of classical philology and the innovations of contemporary linguistics. Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Preface to the English edition......Page 11 List of tables......Page 13 Abbreviations......Page 16 1. Introduction: from traditional grammar to modern linguistics......Page 20 Part| Phonology......Page 26 2. The Latin alphabet......Page 28 3. Phonemes......Page 32 4 Pronunciation......Page 40 5. Prosody and metrics......Page 43 Part Il: Morphology......Page 58 6. Words, roots, and stems......Page 60 7. Parts of speech......Page 68 8. A theory of inflection......Page 71 9. Noun declensions......Page 78 10. Adjective declensions......Page 104 11. Adverbs......Page 109 12 Pronouns......Page 111 13. Numerals......Page 124 14. Verbal inflection......Page 128 15. Derivation......Page 169 16. Composition......Page 183 Part III: Syntax......Page 192 17. Preliminary notions: valency and theta-roles......Page 194 18. Phrases......Page 201 19. The simple sentence......Page 222 20. Case theory......Page 245 21. Case syntax......Page 256 22. The compound sentence: coordination......Page 281 23. The complex sentence: embedded clauses......Page 286 24. Interrogative clauses......Page 294 25. Relative clauses......Page 302 26. Infinitival clauses......Page 309 27. Participial clauses......Page 321 28. Adverbial clauses......Page 329 Conclusion......Page 341 Bibliography......Page 342 Index......Page 358