Constituent Order in Classical Latin Prose

Olga Spevak | University of Toulouse

Hardbound – Available

ISBN 9789027205841 | EUR 105.00 | USD 158.00

e-Book –

ISBN 9789027288516 | EUR 105.00 | USD 158.00

Latin is a language with variable (so-called 'free') word order. Constituent Order in Classical Latin Prose (Caesar, Cicero, and Sallust) presents the first systematic description of its constituent order from a pragmatic point of view. Apart from general characteristics of Latin constituent order, it discusses the ordering of the verb and its arguments in declarative, interrogative, and imperative sentences, as well as the ordering within noun phrases. It shows that the relationship of a constituent with its surrounding context and the communicative intention of the writer are the most reliable predictors of the order of constituents in a sentence or noun phrase. It differs from recent studies of Latin word order in its scope, its theoretical approach, and its attention to contextual information. The book is intended both for Latinists and for linguists working in the fields of the Romance languages and language typology.

[Studies in Language Companion Series, 117] 2010. xv, 318 pp.

Publishing status: Available
Published online on 13 April 2010

https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.117

Table of Contents

Preface | pp. xiii–xiv

Abbreviations | pp. xv–xvi

Introduction | pp. 1–12

Placement constraints and liberties in Latin constituent order | pp. 13–26

Pragmatic functions | pp. 27–114

Declarative sentences | pp. 115–194

Interrogative sentences | pp. 195–204

Imperative sentences | pp. 205–222

Noun phrases | pp. 223–282

Conclusion | pp. 283–286

Index locorum | pp. 299–302

Index rerum | pp. 303–304

Three commented texts | pp. 305–318

“Dr. Spevak has written a readable and well-structured book on a challenging subject. ”

Joseph Reisdoerfer, University of Luxemburg, on Linguist List 22.2867, 2011

“This book is a substantial and valuable contribution to the growing body of research on Latin word order, and all who work on the topic will need to take account of its findings. It has a firm empirical basis, using the works of Cicero, Caesar and Sallust as its primary corpus of material, but resorting to a subset of this for the investigation of certain grammatical features where analysis of a larger corpus might have been intractable. [...] Spevak has demonstrated the very considerable advances in understanding that can come from a functionalist analysis of Latin word order, and her work deserves serious attention. This reviewer, at least, will have cause to return to it frequently.”

J. G. F. Powell, Royal Holloway, University of London, in Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2011.06.30

“This book is an enjoyable read. It contains important information and insights, and there is a useful appendix containing pragmatic commentaries on three passages. Series students of Latin syntax must not neglect to consult this rich contribution to the field.”

James W. R. Brooks, University of Manchester, in Journal of Roman Studies 102: 400-401. (2012)

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